Approximately 1.000 scientists from all over the world met in Tokyo to exchange their views on the latest developments on alternative methods to animal tests in life sciences.
The large number of participants from outside Japan showed that this topic is of great importance in the international research community.
Objectives of the conference were to:
Most animal experiments for evaluating the safety of cosmetics will be prohibited in the EU in 2009. For the acceptance of alternative methods by 2009, a series of alternative methods or concrete plans for validation of new methods are needed. The results of the WC6 will have a significant influence on the policies regarding alternatives to animal testing.
The past World Congresses were held in Baltimore (1993), Utrecht (1996), Bologna (1999), New Orleans (2002), Berlin (2005) followed now by Tokyo (2007). It was announced that the next congress will be held 2009 in Rome.
VITROCELL® SYSTEMS participated in the exhibition and showed it’s large product program of equipment for the in vitro analysis of airborne substances such as gases, nano particles and complex mixtures. The VITROCELL® product range helps to reduce animal testing in the field of e. g. inhalation toxicology. For this purpose human cells are cultivated in special exposure modules on membranes and then exposed at the air/liquid interface to the test substances. The customers of VITROCELL® are leading medical and environmental research institutes as well as the pharmaceutical and other industries.
