Symposium Next level non-animal testing

In the Netherlands animal testing is carried out to protect our health, develop medication and gain new scientific knowledge. But is it the most reliable method of testing? And is it possible to replace animal testing with non-animal methods? The Dutch government has expressed its ambition to be a international frontrunner in the transition to non-animal testing innovations. Professor Marcel Levi, President Executive Board of the Dutch Research Council (NWO), shares his insight on the state of the art of non-animal testing.

Marjolein Wildwater gives a concise presentation on the results of the 3R TOXFLOW and DARTpaths projects. 3R TOXFLOW compares C. elegans, zebrafish and cell line research in toxicity testing. She will also shed her light on the challenges on bringing products to market without animal testing.

In the past four years a consortium of research organizations and companies worked together on the research and development of non-animal testing methods. Diederik Jekel talks with representatives from the consortium about the urge, needs and aims for non-animal testing and the steps that they followed in the past years. And look forward to the possibilities and opportunities for the future.

After a brief introduction to 3R TOXFLOW in the morning, Jochem Louisse, Chiel Jonker and Marc Teunis will take the attendees more in-depth into the research. What can the results of the research mean for the industry?

Using a concrete business case, Vera van Noort and Marvin Steijaert will show how the DARTpaths application works and what it can do for the industry.

Led by conference chair Diederik Jekel, we will engage in a conversation, discussing various perspectives such as: what is still needed, how can it be realized, what are regulatory issues, what are the technological opportunities, and how do we deal with uncertainty?