Although non-animal models may not completely eliminate the use of animals in testing, it can help promote the 3R’s – reduce, refine and replace animals in testing and research. Below are two different ways to test for toxicity with the help of technology.

1. Computer Models

Computer models have already started to replace some tests that were previously done on animals. Parts of testing processes to ensure product safety that had required animals can now be tested using only computers.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed ToxCast in 2007. ToxCast is a chemical toxicity forecaster that can accurately determine systemic toxicity in cosmetic products. ToxCast is used to better understand how chemicals interact and harm the human body without the use of animals. According to Dr. David Dix, the director of EPA National Center for Computational Toxicology, ToxCast is able to efficiently screen thousands of chemicals in hundreds of tests, and provide results that are relevant to various types of toxicity.

More information about ToxCast can be found here.

2. In Vitro Testing (Cell and Tissue Culture)

In Cell and Tissue Culture, samples of human cells and tissues are grown and used to test a substance. The cultures are grown outside of a living organism, so the toxicity testing is performed under an artificial environment. This does not allow experimenters to see the effect of the substance in a living body, but it is relatively low cost and is beneficial because it allows researchers to gain information specifically relating to humans without exploiting animals.

The Bovine Corneal Opacity and Permeability (BCOP) and Isolated Chicken Eye (ICE) test method are both tests that can be used to detect eye irritants instead of using the Draize test. Both the BCOP and ICE test is an in vitro test which uses tissues obtained from slaughterhouses, which would otherwise be discarded, to replace the use of live animals.

The LD50 Test is is being replaced by the IC50 Test. The IC50 Tests determines the cytotoxicity of a chemical substance by estimating the chemical’s ability to inhibit growth of half of the cells. It is extremely useful in comparing the toxicity of chemicals in human cells and the data produced is much more relevant to humans compared to the results of an LD50 from animals.