RE-Place, central database of New Approach Methodologies jobs and careers

About RE-Place, central database of New Approach Methodologies

The RE-Place project, coordinated by Sciensano and the VUB, is an initiative from the Flemish and Brussels government to stimulate the use of ‘New Approach Methodologies (NAMs)’. New and innovative technologies continue to be developed across the life sciences: computer modelling, artificial intelligence, sophisticated cell cultures, organ-on-a-chip and many more. These technologies are also referred to as ‘NAMs’. In regulatory toxicology, NAMs are successfully applied for different endpoints, especially in the field of local toxicity, thereby resulting in the use of less or even no experimental animals. For systemic toxicity however, the situation is more complex. The same is true for biomedical research, where despite the availability of cutting-edge technologies, animal experimentation is still needed in most cases. Nevertheless, even when this is the case, NAMs play a valuable complementary role to tackle these complex research questions. As the development of NAMs is continuously evolving, relevant information on NAMs may not always be easy to find by (young) scientists. In order to facilitate access to this type of information, the Flemish and Brussels government initiated the project “RE-Place” which aims to centralize existing expertise on NAMs in Belgium in one database. We are collecting information on all NAMs that avoid the direct use of animals, even if their results still must be combined with animal experiments. NAMs are thus not necessarily one-by-one replacement methods, but can contribute to the overall replacement and reduction of animal testing. They can thus also be a single step within a broader research strategy. In order to obtain such an up-to-date inventory, we need your help. Submit your knowledge on NAMs via www.RE-Place.be! By doing so, you will not only have access to a reliable overview of different NAMs, but also to names of experts and research centres who have expressed willingness to pass on their knowledge.