New model for realistic toxicity testing by combining lungs and nervous system in vitro
Dr. Remco Westerink and his colleagues from the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS) at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Utrecht University have developed a model that has the potential to replace inhalation studies with living animals to measure the toxicity of substances.
They had previously developed a microelectrode array (MEA) model to test substances for neurotoxic effects, by exposing cultured nerve cells to a test compound on a 48-well plate. However, this model does not provide the level of complexity in order to replace the often mandatory animal studies. Therefore, a more relevant method for safety pharmacology and toxicity testing has been developed. The MEA model was linked to an in vitro lung model which resulted in the so-called Air Liquid Interface (ALI) model. A test case with E-liquid has showed promising results.
Read more about this on 3Rs-Centre Utrecht Life Sciences website.