The Way Forward
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| Last Updated: September 3, 2008 |
| Mammalian reproduction and embryo development involve many organs and physiological processes. While there are promising in vitro methods in various stages of development and use, the current in vitro tests are not sufficient for replacing the animal tests for reproductive and developmental toxicity testing (ECVAM, 2005). In some cases, the biological processes that need to be evaluated and the assays and endpoints for conducting the assessment still need to be identified. An eventual replacement method will consist of a number of in vitro tests used in a tiered testing strategy, but a timeframe for a full replacement method has not been predicted at this time.
Regarding developmental neurotoxicity (DNT), the 2006 TestSmart DNT workshop produced the following recommendations to promote the development of alternatives to current animal tests and policies: "initiating a systematic evaluation of alternative models and technologies; developing a framework for the creation of an open database to catalog DNT data; and devising a strategy for harmonizing the validation process across international jurisdictional borders" (Lein, et al., 2007).
For more on The Way Forward, read the following invited commentary on reproductive & developmental toxicity:
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