Alternatives to animal testing: New Approach Methodologies (NAMs)
Project
|Published
Our focus lies in revolutionising toxicological assessment through the development of innovative New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) and advancing our understanding of environmental chemicals and their impact on human health. Our dedicated team of scientists from various career stages (PhDs students, postdocs and senior scientists) is working to redefine traditional testing approaches, striving to replace animal models with cutting-edge non-animal test systems.
Summary
Immunotoxicological testing
At NIPH, we recognise the critical need to evaluate the toxicity of substances and their intricate interactions with the immune system. Our focus to improve laboratory methods for Immunotoxicological testing is important because it focuses on understanding how exposure to various substances, such as chemicals, pharmaceuticals, pollutants, and other environmental agents can adversely affect the immune system's function and responses. Excess exposure to immunotoxicants can lead to potential health risks, higher susceptibility to infection, reduced vaccine response and increased susceptibility to autoimmune diseases, allergies and cancer.
We are harnessing the power of PBMCs (peripheral blood mononuclear cells), a mixture of white blood cells, to create a novel testing platform. By mimicking the complexities of the human immune response in a controlled environment, we can study the impacts of environmental toxicants with precision.
We will employ technology known as CyTOF (Cytometry by Time of Flight) and test the effect of PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). This advanced analytical tool allows us to dissect the effects of these PFAS at a cellular level. This will allow us to study how these chemicals influence the function of white blood cells such as lymphocytes (T cells, B cells, NK cells) and monocytes. In addition, this method allows us also to look at quantitative changes in the composition of the complex mixture of many cell subtypes.
Developmental Neurotoxicity
In addition to immunotoxicity methods NIPH has a second focus area related to Developmental Neurotoxicity.
During pregnancy, the developing child and its brain are particularly vulnerable to harmful effects of chemicals. Disturbance in any of the processes during brain development can lead to neurodevelopmental disorders like autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, difficulty with learning and memory and others.
Testing for the effects of chemicals on brain development is both practically and ethically challenging, therefor there is a need to develop new and better methods to test for possible toxicity of the developing nervous system. We do this by developing a model using neural stem cells that, when they develop into more mature nerve cells, mimic what is happening in the early stages of brain development during pregnancy.
Our focus is to develop and improve this model by testing chemicals found in air, food, pesticides and pharmaceuticals and assessing their effects using advanced laboratory methods called RNA sequencing and immunocytochemistry with high content imaging.
Overall, the work conducted will contribute to paving the way for a future where we no longer rely on animal testing to establish chemical safety. Along the way, the insights will assist regulators to limit environmental pollutants and improve human well-being with high-quality data.