EURL ECVAM Recommends New Skin Sensitization Test Method

Following on the heels of the OECD’s adoption of two non-animal methods for skin sensitization testing, the Direct Peptide Reactivity Assay and the ARE-Nrf2 Luciferase Test Method (KeratinoSens^TM), the European Union Reference Laboratory for Alternatives to Animal Testing (EURL ECVAM) has validated and recommended a new non-animal test method for skin sensitization to be used with other non-animal and computer modeling methods as part of an integrated approach to testing and assessment. The human Cell Line Activation Test (h-CLAT) can identify chemicals that can lead to allergic contact dermatitis by measuring the up-regulation of markers of dendritic cell activation in THP-1 cells, a key event in the adverse outcome pathway for skin sensitization.