Toxicity Assessment Alternatives: Methods, Issues, Opportunities

Toxicity Assessment Alternatives: Methods, Issues, Opportunities contains a broad array of critical surveys, contributed by active and respected investigators, describing their research and offering updates on toxicity assessment alternatives, directions determined by current and future grant programs, opportunities for mechanistically based test methods to detect endocrine disruptor activity, the use of alternatives in the Department of Defense hazard assessment initiatives, and the issues and opportunities for validation and regulatory acceptance. Several of these advances make use oftransgenic models that reduce the time and cost of carcinogenicity testing. Others use tissue cultures for the assessment of endocrine disrupting chemicals. Cultures of human epidermal keratinocytes are applicable as models for sulfur mustard lesions, and in vitro protein denaturation is used as a chemical test for assessing the ocular and dermal irritation potential of cosmetic prod­ ucts. Molecular modeling is applied to explaining chemical toxicity. Commercially developed assay systems have undergone extensive evaluation by their manufacturers. Some of these await external valida­ tion, and others await acceptance by North American and European regulatory agencies. Toxicity Assessment Alternatives: Methods, Issues, Opportunities provides information from members of the scientific and regulatory communities on what has been achieved and what has been accepted in alternatives to animal testing.

In Toxicity Assessment Alternatives, internationally known scientists review what has been accomplished thus far in developing acceptable alternatives to classical animal toxicity assessment methods. Authoritative chapters describe not only the many practical alternative approaches that have recently emerged, but also consider current trends and likely future approaches, as well as emerging automated assessment techniques. Hazard assessment applications and the validation of new alternative methods are also discussed. The methods described here will help toxicologists, cosmetic chemists, and pharmacologists greatly reduce, refine, or even possibly replace, the use of laboratory animals in their work. Life science researchers will also find many new opportunities for detecting endocrine disruptions. Regulatory officers will gain a new perspective on alternative assessment, environmental assessment, and risk assessment.
Significantly extending the efforts the National Institutes of Health, the European Union, and the ICCVAM, Toxicity Assessment Alternatives offers all those evaluating toxicity today a cutting-edge collection of practical and highly effective alternative methods.