Webinar to discuss NAMs for Developmental Neurotoxicity. It will be hosted by Chairpersons Lena Smirnova (Johns Hopkins University) and Melissa Martin (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). Register here.

Thursday, 19 May 2022, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm CET

This event offers a forum for constructive discussion on how we can all contribute towards a reduced pollution society while still combatting the challenges of climate change and the necessary green transition.

Animal testing is often used to evaluate the potential risks, uses, and environmental impacts of chemicals. New Approach Methods (NAMs) are technologies and approaches (including computational modeling, in vitro assays, and testing using alternative animal species) that can inform hazard and risk assessment decisions without the use of animal testing.

This one-day virtual workshop will address the committee’s charge and inform the consensus report by addressing elements of a scientific confidence framework for NAMs pertinent to risk assessment ...

ECHA together with the OECD have managed the QSAR toolbox for over a decade. It is free software that supports reproducible and transparent chemical hazard assessment using non-animal methods.

This webinar introduces the QSAR Toolbox together with practical advice on how to use its new and essential features. It will also give an overview of future developments planned for the QSAR Toolbox in the coming years.

The meeting will connect researchers interested or working in the fields of experimental phar‐ macology, clinical pharmacology, clinical, experimental or regulatory toxicology, and in phar‐ maceutical medicine. The structure of the program will allow each discipline to present their field and its perspectives. A key objective of the conference is to promote interactions be‐ tween academic, clinical and industrial sectors.

The deadline for registration and abstract submission has been extended to 28 March 2022.

The Computational Toxicology Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology will present a webinar on “The Predictive Toxicogenomics Space (PTGS) Modeling Tool Captures Diverse Cellular and Organ Toxicity Mechanisms and Serves for In Vitro Model-Driven Prediction of Drug-Induced Liver Injury.”

Speakers Roland Grafstrom and Pekka Kohonen of the Karolinska Institutet will describe an artificial intelligence-derived 14-gene component-based predictive toxicogenomics space tool that generates toxicity estimates based on omics data providing broad coverage of toxicity reactions and mechanisms. The tool enables application of in vitro data to assess tissue injury in multiple organs of experimental animals subjected to repeated-dose toxicity bioassays, including the accurate prediction of human drug-induced liver injury.

17:00-18:00 CEST

Presenter 1: Sabina Burla, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST)
A 3D alveolar in vitro model for the prediction of chemical respiratory sensitizers and irritants

Presenter 2: Kelly Carstens, PhD, US EPA ORISE
Evaluation of in vitro New Approach Methodologies for Developmental Neurotoxicity

The OECD is increasingly exploring the use of alternative (non-animal) methods to aid the chemical risk assessment process. In 2021, the OECD published a Guidance Document on the Characterisation, Validation and Reporting of Physiologically Based Kinetic (PBK) Models For Regulatory Purposes that aims to increase the confidence in the use of PBK models parameterised with data derived from in vitro and in silico methods, and help address “unfamiliar” uncertainties associated with these methods. Shortly after, the OECD organised an introductory webinar on “Gaining acceptance in next generation PBK modelling approaches for regulatory assessments”. This first webinar covered the assessment framework for PBK models that was developed to evaluate the attributes and uncertainties of these models and included discussions on sensitivity analysis.

The second webinar will focus on the application of the assessment framework for PBK models. It will present two case studies and illustrate how the templates of the guidance were used to report and evaluate PBK models. A discussion will also take place on challenges related to the regulatory evaluation of PBK models and clarifications on aims and scope of these models will be provided.

If you are from the community of PBK model developers, or the proponent of a model in a regulatory submission, or a regulator who needs to assess the applicability of the models in chemical evaluations, this webinar is for you.

Programme: (Time CET)
13.00-13.10 Welcoming - Magda Sachana (OECD)
13.10-13.20 Short introduction to the OECD PBK Guidance - Cecilia Tan (US EPA)
13.20-13.35 Reporting and evaluation of PBK models - Bette Meek (University of Ottawa)
13.35 -13:50 Developing a PBK model: EFSA case study - Jean Lou Dorne (EFSA)
13.50-14:05 Developing a PBK model: NTP case study - Xiaoqing Chang (Inotiv)
14.05-14.40 Review of the two case studies - Bette Meek (University of Ottawa), Cecilia Tan (US EPA), Jean Lou Dorne (EFSA), Xiaoqing Chang (Inotiv)
14.40-15.00 Q&A - Moderated by Alicia Paini (esqLABS GmbH)

OpenTox 2021 Interns present:

• Covid-19 Vaccination Safety in the U.S: Descriptive and Predictive Analysis (Nemsa Mousa)
• An Online Repository For Computational Toxicology Softwares And Databases (Daniel Ukaegbu)

Thursday, 31 March 2022 
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM CEST

The European Commission and ECHA are organising an online information session to address technical questions that industry, such as ink formulators and tattoo artists, might have on the implementation of the restriction. The aim is to help those impacted to meet the new legal requirements set by Annex XVII of the EU’s chemicals legislation, REACH.