As it currently stands, in silico methods such as creating predictive and expert models still require further development before it can be widely accepted by both the regulatory and the scientific community.
For an in silico method to replace an animal test method, major steps include:
- test development
- prevalidation
- validation
- peer reviews
- regulatory acceptance
Hopefully, systems similar to the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM) will be established worldwide. Such systems focus on developing and incorporating in silico methods with in vitro methods to create integrated processes to reduce the reliance on in vivo animal tests.
Basically, less animals used in research = more cute animal pictures!