Guinea pigs and mice can be replaced with a non-animal skin sensitization method that uses a human-derived skin model, according to a study presented today by the PETA International Science Consortium, Ltd., at the Society of Toxicology's annual meeting.
Recent results show that Cyprotex's in vitro skin sensitization assay SenCeeTox- can correctly identify chemicals that cause an allergic response in humans and, unlike many other methods, can predict the potency of the response. This non-animal method uses a three-dimensional, human-derived skin model that accurately replicates many of the key traits of normal human skin, allowing it to be used to test finished products such as gels and creams.
Dr. Amy Clippinger of the PETA International Science Consortium, Ltd., presented a poster on the results of an inter-laboratory validation of the non-animal test at the Society of Toxicology's annual meeting. She explained that the test replaces guinea pigs and mice that would otherwise have chemical substances injected into their bodies or applied to their shaved skin.
PETA U.K. funded the initial validation studies. Further validation studies will be conducted, and the results will be submitted to the European Union Reference Laboratory for Alternatives to Animal Testing.
"These results show that there is no scientific need to subject tens of thousands of mice and guinea pigs to painful tests," says Jessica Sandler, director of the PETA International Science Consortium, Ltd. "We look forward to the day when old habits and archaic methods give way to good science."
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