ICCVAM Communities of Practice Webinar 2020
Use of Animal-free Affinity Reagents
January 21, 2020
ICCVAM promotes the development and validation of toxicity testing methods that protect human health and the environment while replacing reducing, or refining animal use. ICCVAM also provides guidance to test method developers and facilitates collaborations that promote the development of new test methods. This webinar, organized on behalf of ICCVAM by NICEATM, presented a review of the usefulness and limitations of nonanimal-derived affinity reagents and their potential to replace animal-derived reagents.
Affinity reagents such as antibodies are used in a range of research, diagnostic, and regulatory applications. However, traditional methods for producing such reagents require immunization of laboratory animals. Therefore, even when applied to nonanimal test methods, their use is inconsistent with the spirit of replacing, reducing, or refining animal use. Use of animal-based affinity reagents also introduces variability into the methods that use them.
In this webinar, Alejandra Solache of Abcam presented an overview of production, use, and characteristics of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies. Rebecca Clewell of 21st Century Tox Consulting summarized a recent review by a working group of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the European Union Reference Laboratory for Alternatives to Animal Testing on the scientific validity and benefits of animal-free technologies to produce affinity reagents.
View Federal Register notice announcing the webinar (November 26, 2019) – View notice as webpage
Presentations
- Recombinant Monoclonal Antibodies: An Indispensable Research Tool
Alejandra Solache, Ph.D., Abcam - Scientific Validity of Replacements for Animal-Derived Antibodies
Rebecca Clewell, Ph.D., 21st Century Tox Consulting