Avantea is partner in Scr&tox, research project on alternative toxicological testing

Avantea, laboratory of advanced biotechnology research, is partner of the European project Scr&tox, together with other 13 international organisation (industrial and academic), with the aim of the European cosmetics industry to develop alternatives to toxicological testing, to increase the reliability of chemicals and cosmetics, to reduce the use of animal testing.

Scr&tox aims at addressing the unmet need for test methods for predicting toxicity of drugs, chemical and cosmetic ingredients. In the development of products for the use by humans, it is vital to identify compound with toxic properties at an early stage of their development, in order to avoid spending time and resourse on unsuitable and potentially unsafe candidate products. Human pluripotent stem cells lines offer a unique opportunity to develop a wide variety of human cell-based test system as they may be expanded indefinitely and triggered to differentiate into any cell type. Scr&tox has been designed to make use of these two attributes to provide in vitro assays for predicting toxicity of pharmaceutical compounds and cosmetic ingredients and to address all issues related with biological and technological resources to meet this goal.
Nearly 100 scientists from over 70 European organisations have come together in Cascais (Portugal) at the start of 2011 to kick-off a EUR 50 million research and innovation project in the field of novel human safety testing solutions. This unique collaboration is possible thanks to the European Union’s Health Programme and an initiative of the European cosmetics industry.

This FP7 research initiative was launched in July 2009 by the European Commission. The European cosmetics industry offered to match the European Commission’s funds to make a total available of EUR 50 million to try to fill current gaps in scientific knowledge and accelerate the development of non-animal test methods. The initiative focuses on the complex area of repeated dose toxicity. Colipa, European Association of Cosmetic Industry, co-funds this unique research initiative launched by the European Union’s Health Programme: “Towards innovative, non-animal safety testing methods of chemicals and ingredients of cosmetic products”.

New cosmetic products launched on the European market need to be assessed for safety to human health. For many years, substantial efforts have been made by public research programmes and by the cosmetics industry to develop alternative and more efficient solutions to the in vivo toxicity tests used for assessing human safety of new products and product ingredients. However, the current state of knowledge still does not allow complete replacement of animal testing, especially as regards the effects of products and ingredients used repeatedly over longer periods (repeated dose effects).

Internet site of SCR&TOX project
<media 359 _blank - "TEXT, Launch of the European research project SCR, Launch_of_the_European_research_project_SCR.pdf, 98 KB">Launch of the European research project SCR&Tox </media>
<media 358 _blank - "TEXT, FP7 launch Colipa press statement v 01 03 11 FINAL, FP7_launch_Colipa_press_statement_v_01_03_11_FINAL.pdf, 337 KB">Colipa cofunds unique research initiative</media>
<media 357 _blank - "TEXT, Articolo Provincia di Cremona - Scr tox, Articolo_Provincia_di_Cremona_-_Scr_tox.pdf, 185 KB">Articolo Provincia di Cremona - "Avantea entra nella cosmesi" (ita)</media>
Video presentation of Avantea in Scr&Tox project

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