AUGUST 2005 NEWS

CAAT Symposium Aims to Create More Humane and Efficient Approach to Developmental Neurotoxicity Testing

The Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT) is offering a symposium aimed at developing better ways to test for developmental neurotoxicity (DNT). The meeting—TestSmart DNT: Creating a Humane and Efficient Approach to Developmental Neurotoxicity Testing—will be held March 13-15, 2006 at the Hyatt Regency Reston in Reston, Virginia (near Washington, DC Dulles International Airport).

DNT is a major issue in children’s health worldwide. The developing human nervous system is susceptible to many toxicants, and chemical exposure during development may cause lasting neurological deficits. Some of the most important environmental health issues over the past 25 years—lead and methyl mercury, for example—have involved developmental neurotoxicity.

Current methods for DNT testing are expensive in terms of scientific resources, time, and animal use. Given the increasing number of chemicals that need to be tested and the increasing amount of information needed about them, we must look for new approaches to meet the expressed demands for identifying developmental neurotoxic agents with speed, reliability, and respect for animal welfare.

TestSmart DNT is a long-term program aimed at identifying a battery of methods for DNT testing that meets government requirements, enhances decision-making, and promotes humane science. This meeting is the first in a series that will bring together leading stakeholders from around the world to develop the DNT testing methods of the future.

Continuing Medical Education credits are available for this symposium.

For more information, please visit http://caat.jhsph.edu/dnt