ALTEXVolume 34, No. 1ISSN 1868-596X

1-184 (2017)

1/2017

ALTERNATIVES TO ANIMAL EXPERIMENTATION

Research ArticleJohanna Nyffeler et al.Design of a high-throughput human neural crest cell migration assay to indicate potential developmental toxicants

t4 Workshop ReportDavid Pamies et al.Good Cell Culture Practice for stem cells and stem-cell-derived models

Research ArticleDorothea Döring et al. Behavior of laboratory dogs before and after rehoming in private homes

Review ArticleRachel Tanner and Helen McShaneReplacing, reducing and refining the use of animals in tuberculosis vaccine research

Meeting report Calendar CornersNews

Food for thought …Francois Busquet

and Thomas HartungThe need for strategic

development of safety sciences

Research ArticleAnita R. Iskandar et al. 3-D nasal cultures:

Systems toxicological assessment of a

candidate modified-risk tobacco product

t4 Workshop ReportMichael Aschner et al.

Reference compounds for alternative test methods

to indicate developmental neurotoxicity (DNT)

potential of chemicals: Example lists and

criteria for their selection and use

Research ArticleJoakim Ringblom et al.

Assigning ethical weights to clinical signs observed during toxicity testing

Editorial

ALTEX 34(1), 2017U2

In the past year, the number of submissions to ALTEX has increased further and with it the number of positively reviewed manuscripts. Although we have increased the number of pages of ALTEX to allow publication of more articles, we have not increased subscription rates. We were delighted to be commended for our work by the LUSH Prize in November and take this as great motivation for the year ahead.

In this issue’s Food for Thought … contribution, Fran-cois Busquet and Thomas Hartung argue for the establish-ment of a European institute devoted to safety sciences. This expedient suggestion comes at an ideal time where alternative methods are gaining ever greater acceptance, having moved out of niche science into cutting edge, high-tech and high-quality science. An institute tasked with being the European authority on safety science could de-velop and coordinate overarching European strategies towards improving safety science and channel the developments in this field more effectively while providing continuity in expertise.

Anita Iskandar and colleagues present their work on organo-typic, three-dimensional cultures of the nasal lining challenged with different tobacco aerosols. Their systems toxicological approach combines computational biology analyses with a set of functional assays to provide a detailed assessment of the ef-fects of the aerosols on the nasal cells. The work includes care-ful quality controls, such as extensive repetitions of the experi-ments to determine the robustness of the method and analysis of the actual exposure achieved via the system.

Testing chemicals for their ability to affect our nervous sys-tem is highly challenging as the possible adverse outcomes, such as reduced learning ability, are hard to model in cell cul-ture. The t4 workshop report by Aschner et al. has generated a list of chemicals, for which there is convincing evidence that they cause neurotoxicity in one or multiple forms, that can be used as positive controls in the development of neurotoxicity assays. This is complemented by a list of chemicals, for which there is no evidence of adverse effects on the nervous system, which are suitable for use as negative controls.

Staying on the subject of neurotoxicity, Johanna Nyffeler and colleagues describe major improvements to their neurotoxici-ty assay, which has recently been recognized with two prizes, see CAATfeed. The assay models migration inhibition of neu-ral crest cells during development, which may be affected by unspecific toxicants or by specific inhibitors. The test, which is based on neural crest cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells, differentiates between these two modes of action.

Human stem cells have revolutio-nized the field of alternative methods by providing a source of non-cancer, differentiated human cells to better model the human response to toxi-cants. A t4 workshop report authored by Pamies et al. now updates Good Cell Culture Practice guidelines to include also stem cell specific quality controls and to sensitize scientists to the pitfalls and possible consequences of insufficient quality control in the cell culture laboratory.

Rehoming of laboratory dogs saves them from euthanasia once they are no longer needed for experiments.

But how do they adapt to their new homes and can one predict successful rehoming? Dorothea Döring et al. investigated the-se questions by performing behavioral tests on dogs leaving a research company, and by interviewing the new owners. Their results document the overall successful transition and indicate that prior experience with dogs or young dog age are not prere-quisites for a favorable outcome as formerly supposed.

How many animals suffering milder clinical symptoms in an experiment offset fewer animals suffering more severe symp-toms? In their study, Joakim Ringblom and colleagues explore the possibility of assigning ethical weights to various clinical symptoms to measure the ethical cost of an animal experiment and to find the trade-off point between refinement and reduction.

The world’s most deadly disease, tuberculosis, is a field of intense animal research. Rachel Tanner and Helen McShane re-view 3R opportunities and successes in tuberculosis research, informing scientists in this field of promising alternative ap-proaches.

A meeting report, corners and news bring you up to speed with recent developments and the calendar gives you an over-view of events that are coming up this year, including the 10th World Congress on Animal Use and Alternatives in the Life Sciences in Seattle.

Wishing you success in tackling further challenges and oppor-tunities in the 3Rs field in 2017.

Sonja von Aulock Editor in chief, ALTEX

Dear readers,

Sonja von Aulock and Thales Tréz at the LUSH Prize ceremony

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AltexVolume 33, No. 1ISSN 1868-596X1-80 (2016)

1/2016

AlterNAtIVeS to ANImAl eXperImeNtAtIoNResearch Article

Claudia Skazik-Voogt, Katrin Kühler, Hagen ott,

Katharina Czaja, Gabriele Zwadlo-Klarwasser,

Hans F. merk, philipp m. Amann

and Jens m. BaronMyeloid human cell lines

lack functional regulation

of aryl hydrocarbon receptor-dependent phase I genesReview ArticleCaroline Vipond, lucy Findlay,

Ian Feavers and rory Care

limitations of the rabbit

pyrogen test for assessing

meningococcal OMV based

vaccinesReview ArticleChristian lotz, Freia F. Schmid,

Angela rossi, Szymon Kurdyn,

Daniel Kampik, Bart De Wever,

Heike Walles and Florian K. GroeberAlternative methods for the replacement of

eye irritation testingCalendar CornersNews

Food for thought …Stephen F. eisenman

Criticizing animal experimentation, at my perilResearch Article

lydia Aslanidou, Bram trachet, philippe reymond,

rodrigo A. Fraga-Silva, patrick Segers and

Nikolaos StergiopulosA 1D model of the arterial circulation in miceResearch Article

maren Bernau, prisca V. Kremer,

lena S. Kreuzer, Daniela emrich, elke pappenberger,

Klaus Cussler, Andreas Hoffmann,

miriam leipig, Walter Hermanns

and Armin manfred Scholz Assessment of local

reaction to vaccines in live piglets with

magnetic resonance imaging compared to histopathology

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AltexVolume 33, No. 3ISSN 1868-596X209-340 (2016)

3/2016

AlterNAtIVeS to ANImAl eXperImeNtAtIoN

Research ArticleAnna Kuehn, Stephanie Kletting,

Cristiane de Souza Carvalho- Wodarz et al. Human alveolar epithelial cells expressing tight junctions to model the air-blood barrier

Research ArticleAnke m. tukker, martje W. G. D. m. de Groot, Fiona m. J. Wijnolts, emma e. J.

Kasteel, laura Hondebrink and

remco H. S. WesterinkIs the time right for in vitro

neurotoxicity testing using human iPSC-derived neurons?

t4 Workshop ReportUwe marx, tommy B. Andersson,

Anthony Bahinski et al.Biology-inspired microphysiological system approaches to solve the prediction dilemma

of substance testing

letterWorkshop reportCalendar CornersNews

Food for thought …thomas Hartung

e-cigarettes and the need and opportunities

for alternatives to animal testing

Research Articlemarco Cocorocchio,

robert Ives, David Clapham, paul l. r. Andrews and

robin S. B. WilliamsBitter tastant responses

in the amoeba Dictyostelium correlate with rat and

human taste assays

Research ArticleFawzy A. elnady

the elnady technique:

An innovative, new method for tissue preservation

Research ArticleConstança Carvalho,

mariana Vieira Crespo, luísa Ferreira Bastos,

Andrew Knight and luís VicenteContribution of animal

models to contemporary

understanding of attention

deficit hyperactivity disorder

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