[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/6299\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EComputers replace bunnies in Europe\u0027s cosmetics testing labs\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe use of animals in testing cosmetics and their ingredients has been \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/europa.eu\/rapid\/press-release_IP-13-210_en.htm\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ecompletely banned in the EU\u003C\/a\u003E since March 2013. That has helped to drive new ways of thinking about chemical safety.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EComplex computer models developed by a project known as COSMOS can predict where a chemical ends up in the body after it comes into contact with human tissue. The project is also compiling a database of over 5 000 substances used in making cosmetics, and their effects.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The power of the COSMOS database is that we can search for an effect, for example on the liver, and link that to chemistry,\u2019 said Mark Cronin of Liverpool John Moores University in the UK and scientific coordinator of COSMOS.\u003Cdiv class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-bg-bluelightest tw-p-12 tw-my-12 tw--mx-16\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ch3 class=\u0022tw-font-sans tw-font-bold tw-text-blue tw-uppercase tw-text-lg tw-mb-8\u0022\u003EThe Issue\u003C\/h3\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-inline-block tw-w-1\/6 tw-h-1 tw-bg-blue tw-mb-8\u0022\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EThe EU has been working on banning animal testing for cosmetics for over 20 years. It started in 1993 when a directive scheduled a ban to take effect in 1998, but that ban was later delayed due to a lack of alternatives.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProhibiting animal testing for finished cosmetic products was finally banned in 2004 and by 2009 this covered testing for cosmetic ingredients too. Following this, companies could still conduct tests outside the EU and rely on the results to legally sell their products in Member States, but this has also been prohibited after a full ban was enforced\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/europa.eu\/rapid\/press-release_IP-13-210_en.htm\u0022\u003E in March 2013\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFrom 2007 to 2011, the EU spent EUR 238 million on research to develop\u0026nbsp;alternative methods of safety testing cosmetics.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThrough identifying the pathway, the researchers can combine the results of test-tube experiments with computer modelling to produce a safety assessment, without harming animals.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWorking from the molecular level, the model can, for example, trace a substance through the subsequent levels, such as the cell, until it is seen to have an effect on an organ or an individual, or even a population.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research helps in tracing links between exposure to a substance and how much of it actually reaches a particular organ or cell.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018So we can now go to the COSMOS database and ask what kinds of chemical structures are causing liver toxicity through particular mechanisms,\u2019 said Cronin. \u2018People have not been able to ask those kinds of questions before.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESuch models support safety assessments and the data help to identify thresholds for toxicological concern \u2013 the level of exposure to an ingredient that can be considered safe.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe work is part of an umbrella initiative known as SEURAT, which is funded by the EU and the industry body Cosmetics Europe to develop new scientific tools for better understanding of the possible risks of applying repeated doses of chemicals onto the human body.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The policy objective is clear \u2013 to replace, reduce and refine the use of animals for scientific purposes,\u2019 said Professor Maurice Whelan, head of the Systems Toxicology Unit at the European Commission\u0027s in-house research service, the Joint Research Centre (JRC), and a member of SEURAT. The ultimate aim is a complete end to animal tests, although the EU still allows these for biomedical research and safety testing where considered justified.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESEURAT, which finishes this year, will be followed by EU-ToxRisk, a new Horizon 2020-supported research initiative intended to maintain the push to develop alternatives to animal testing in chemical assessments.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECrucial to understanding the toxicity of a chemical is understanding the human liver, which plays such an important role in dealing with troublesome chemicals once they are in the human system.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELiver on a chip\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAmong the six SEURAT projects is HeMiBio, which has developed a \u2018liver on a chip\u2019. It combines different kinds of human liver cells so they can be assessed under exposure to different chemicals. Sensors monitor the conditions and effects, giving insights into toxic processes.\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018We are really optimistic that these kinds of systems and combinations promise to replace animal tests, at least to a certain extent.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EProfessor Elmar Heinzle, Saarland University, Germany\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe problem is that human liver tissue available for such research is scarce, usually donated by patients who undergo surgery for disorders such as liver cancer.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESo researchers in another SEURAT project, known as NOTOX, are working on ways to get alternative cells in the laboratory to respond to testing in a similar way to tests on animals or humans.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENOTOX has also been assessing the effects of various chemicals, using computers and donated human tissue in the laboratory to draw up toxicology models.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We are quite confident that using these cells means we take a significant step forward,\u2019 said NOTOX scientific coordinator Professor Elmar Heinzle, from Saarland University, in Saarbr\u00fccken, Germany. \u2018It is not complete, but human cells or human microtissues cultured \u003Cem\u003Ein vitro\u003C\/em\u003E (in laboratory equipment) help us to get a much better understanding of molecular mechanisms.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe believes that analysing toxicity pathways, combined with mathematical modelling, provides a real alternative to using laboratory animals.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We are really optimistic that these kinds of systems and combinations promise to replace animal tests, at least to a certain extent,\u2019 Prof. Heinzle said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-co-n-ee-x5sixcor3dyiln0yn7de4jjvgy7015dnw0\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-_Co_n_EE_X5SIXCOR3dyilN0yN7De4jjvgY7015Dnw0\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]