NTP Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods (NICEATM)
NICEATM releases ICE 3.6; training workshop April 18-19
On March 24, NICEATM released version 3.6 of the Integrated Chemical Environment (ICE). ICE provides data and tools to help develop, assess, and interpret chemical safety tests. This release adds new features to ICE tools, improves usability of ICE data, and adds a new reference Chemical Quick List.
Tool improvements in ICE version 3.6 include:
- Ability to limit Chemical Quest searches to chemicals in user-defined lists.
- New viewing options in Curve Surfer.
- New filtering options in Curve Surfer and Chemical Quest Results views.
- Updated view for uploading custom in vivo and in vitro data in the IVIVE tool.
Additions or improvements to data include:
- Quality control annotations for curated high-throughput screening HTS data.
- References for acute oral toxicity data.
- New endpoints for skin sensitization data.
- Addition and harmonization of endocrine data.
- Downloadable flat files for all data sets available on the Data Sets page (https://ice.ntp.niehs.nih.gov/DATASETDESCRIPTION).
- New reference Chemical Quick Lists for Cancer and Non-Cancer Assessment.
ICE houses curated toxicity and physicochemical property data and a variety of tools to analyze and visualize chemical data. These tools provide access to data adhering to FAIR principles-—Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable—for analyses including in vitro to in vivo extrapolation and physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling.
An online training session April 18-19 will feature demonstrations by NICEATM scientists on new features of ICE. Registration is free but is required to attend; an agenda is available. Attendees at this two-day event will learn directly from NICEATM developers how to use ICE tools and have questions answered in a Q&A session. The session is being presented by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
ICCVAM member honored by SOT specialty section
In an awards ceremony on Wednesday, March 30, Suzanne Fitzpatrick (U.S. Food and Drug Administration [FDA]) was presented with the inaugural Outstanding Contribution to Regulatory Safety Evaluation Award by the Society of Toxicology (SOT) Regulatory and Safety Evaluation Specialty Section. This award recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions in the areas of regulatory and safety evaluation.
Fitzpatrick is a longtime member of the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Alternative Toxicological Methods (ICCVAM) which receives support from NICEATM. She is currently the principal FDA representative to ICCVAM and also principal FDA representative to the Tox 21 partnership. Fitzpatrick is the Senior Advisor for Toxicology at the FDA Foods Program. She is co-chair of an international work group on advancing new predictive toxicology test methods for food safety and also chairs the FDA’s Alternative Methods Work Group, which is currently focusing on in vitro microphysiological systems.
NICEATM scientists honored at SOT
NICEATM scientist Shagun Krishna received two scholarship awards at SOT, one from the Yves Alarie Scholarship Fund, and the other from the Dharm V. Singh Association of Scientists of Indian Origin Student Award Fund. Krishna’s poster, “Applying IVIVE to determine margins of exposure for potentially cardiotoxic chemicals,” was also a finalist for the Best Trainee Abstract award given by the Biological Modeling Specialty Section.
Two 2021 papers with NICEATM coauthors were recognized in awards ceremonies on Tuesday, March 29 organized by the respective specialty sections.
- Clippinger et al. 2021. Human-relevant approaches to assess eye corrosion/irritation potential of agrochemical formulations. Cutan Ocul Toxicol 40(2):145-167. https://doi.org/10.1080/15569527.2021.1910291
Winner, Best Paper, In Vitro and Alternative Methods Specialty Section. - Mansouri et al. 2021. CATMoS: Collaborative Acute Toxicity Modeling Suite. Environ Health Perspect. 2021 Apr;129(4):47013. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP8495
Honorable Mention, Best Paper, Biological Modeling Specialty Section.
Slides and video available for ICCVAM webinar
Slides and video from the January 25 ICCVAM Communities of Practice Webinar on “New Approach Methodologies to Assess (Developmental) Neurotoxicity” are now available. In this webinar, two speakers from U.S. federal research and regulatory agencies described key issues and ongoing activities in alternatives to animal testing to predict chemical effects on the developing and adult nervous system.
Please mark your calendar for Thursday and Friday, May 26-27, when ICCVAM will present its annual Public Forum. At this virtual event, representatives of ICCVAM member agencies will describe activities to advance new approaches to safety testing of chemicals and medical products and to reduce the amount of testing required. Registration and other information will be posted on the NTP website when available.
EPA launches new chemicals collaborative research program; workshop April 20-21
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an ICCVAM member agency, is launching an effort to bring innovative science to the review of new chemicals before they enter the marketplace. A virtual workshop on this effort, the New Chemicals Collaborative Research Program, will be held April 20-21 from 1:00-5:00 p.m. EDT each day.
This multi-year research program will refine existing approaches and develop and implement new approach methodologies to ensure the best available science is for new chemical evaluations conducted under the Toxic Substances Control Act. Workshop attendees will hear an overview of the program and have an opportunity to provide input during topic-focused breakout sessions and a general public comment period.
Recent Publication
- A new paper in Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology describes development of a framework for a risk assessment-based weight of evidence determination of the need for rodent cancer bioassays for safety assessment. The reporting framework was developed to support a chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity study waiver rationale for agrochemicals but could also be applied to endpoints other than chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity, and to chemicals other than agrochemicals. Coauthors on the paper include NTP scientists Warren Casey and ICCVAM co-chair Anna Lowit (EPA).
Hilton et al. 2022. Rethinking chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity assessment for agrochemicals project (ReCAAP): A reporting framework to support a weight of evidence safety assessment without long-term rodent bioassays. Regu Toxicol Pharmacol. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yrtph.2022.105160.