Alternatives to animal testing: the social prospects of toxicogenomics
Toxicogenomics: beyond the golden standard?
Testing medicines on cells instead of mice? Everyone is open to alternatives to animal testing. Today there are new possibilities, such as genomics technology applications in the form of human and animal tissue culture techniques. Unfortunately, the acceptance and application of these toxicogenomics alternatives is proving slow and difficult. CSG is investigating the possible causes for this. Perhaps technology within science is lagging behind in regard to the expectations that were created. Another possibility is that policy and regulations are based too much on animal testing as the ‘golden standard’ that safeguards the safety and efficacy of products. This can make it difficult to include alternatives developed in toxicogenomics in the regulations and use them as a new standard. A third possibility is that society considers safety so important that it deems animal well-being of minor importance. Once the reason for the slow advance of alternatives is clear, it will be important to remove the existing objections and hindrances together with the parties involved. This will open up the possibility of embedding alternatives in a socially responsible way.
Start project: January 2009