ATLA::Alternatives to Laboratory Animals

Volume 25, Number 3

An animal protection sponsor's view of MEIC.

ATLA 25, 341-342, May/June 1997

Ethel Thurston

American for Alternatives to Animal Research, Suite 16G, 75 West 12th Street, New York, NY 10011, USA

SUMMARY

The Multicenter Evaluation of In Vitro Cytotoxicity programme is most important to animal protection, since it has validated 64 in vitro tests using advanced human data for 50 chemicals as the "gold standard". Therefore, it has been able to compare animal cell tests, human cell tests and whole-animal tests fairly with unbiased scientific evidence. Added bonuses have included the identification and development of missing in vitro information ("missing tests"), publication of time-related lethal blood concentrations for all 50 chemicals, and some preliminary plans to resolve the 50,000 untested (or poorly tested) chemicals in the chemical mountain.

Keywords: MEIC, cytotoxicity, evaluation, human cell tests