Norbert E. Kaminski, PhD
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI

The development of in vitro alternative approaches to test chemical toxicity and reduce the need for in vivo rodent testing continues to be a key area of focus for toxicologists and the public in general. While traditional toxicology methods have relied heavily on animals, new high-throughput screening approaches to generate toxicological data are becoming increasingly available for the safety assessment of chemicals. The emergence of the nanotechnology revolution has made the demand for alternative testing more urgent than ever to address a rapidly expanding number and variety of engineered nanomaterials.
 

A critical component of toxicological research is use of an appropriate model that will provide insight as to the effects and mechanisms by which xenobiotics alter physiological systems. Models depend on many factors including target tissue(s), whether a xenobiotic metabolite mediates the effects, and whether effects are direct or indirect. Also critical to model selection is consideration of ways to refine, reduce and replace animal use when possible. In many cases, in vitro systems can be used exclusively to assess xenobiotic effects and mechanisms, especially since these models can be further developed to examine effects on several cell types simultaneously. 
 

Dr. Kaminski presented an introduction and provided several examples of the use of in vitro multicellular model systems, emphasizing both the strengths and challenges of the models and the information that is obtained. Questions regarding data interpretation and the limitations of such systems were discussed in groups at the tables; table hosts used the discussion guide. Participants reported responses via electronic audience polling following the discussion.



출처: SOT (Society of Toxicolog) http://www.toxicology.org/education/pw/ivLectures.asp