Integrated Approaches to Testing and Assessment
Integrated approaches to testing and assessment (IATAs) provide a means by which all relevant and reliable information about a chemical is used to answer a defined hazard characterization question. Information considered can include toxicity data, computational model predictions, exposure routes, use cases, and production volumes. This information is used to characterize outcomes that can inform regulatory decision-making. There is increasing interest in replacing tests using laboratory animals with human cell-based, biochemical, and/or computational methods to predict chemical toxicity. But because of the complexity of toxicity mechanisms, data from several of these alternative methods usually need to be considered in combination to adequately predict toxicity. IATAs provide a means by which these data can be considered in combination. When necessary, IATAs can guide generation of new data, preferably using non-animal approaches, to inform regulatory decision-making.Read More
A defined approach to testing and assessment can be used as part of an IATA or on its own to satisfy a need for hazard information. While IATAs may rely on expert judgment, defined approaches are structured and reproducible, and therefore provide objective outputs. NICEATM, in collaboration with other scientists, has developed defined approaches for skin sensitization, endocrine disruption, and identification of eye irritants.
A defined approach to testing and assessment relies on:
- Input data generated from identified methods.
- A data interpretation procedure that is used to translate data produced from a defined set of information sources into a prediction.
Examples of defined approaches:
- Sequential testing strategies use a fixed, stepwise approach to obtain and assess test data. They include interim decision points at which the user may either proceed to additional testing steps or stop testing and make a hazard prediction.
- Integrated testing strategies use an approach in which multiple sources of data or information are assessed at the same time to arrive at either a hazard prediction or a decision that more testing is needed.
More information about IATAs and defined approaches is available on the OECD website.
Defined Approaches for Eye Irritation
| Project | Description | Publication |
|---|---|---|
| Classification of eye irritation potential of agrochemical formulations | NICEATM is collaborating with PSCI, EPA, and member companies of the trade association CropLife America to identify promising methods that could be used in an in vitro defined approach for classification of eye irritation potential of agrochemical formulations. |
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Defined Approaches for Skin Sensitization
In 2018, EPA released a draft Science Policy to reduce animal use by using defined approaches to identify potential skin sensitizers. The draft policy is the result of national and international collaboration among ICCVAM, NICEATM, Cosmetics Europe, EURL ECVAM, and Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency. These collaborations included the following projects:
| Project | Description | Publication |
|---|---|---|
| Guideline for defined approaches for testing and assessment for skin sensitization | NICEATM and international collaborators convened a 2016 workshop on skin sensitization that produced a proposal for an OECD project to develop an international harmonized guideline for defined approaches for skin sensitization. |
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| Open-source tools to implement defined approaches to skin sensitization testing and assessment | NICEATM and industry scientists from Cosmetics Europe wrote open-source code to reproduce defined approaches submitted as case studies to OECD for skin sensitization testing and assessment. Data on 128 substances to evaluate these defined approaches were also developed as part of this project. |
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| Defined approach using non-animal data to predict skin sensitization hazard |
NICEATM and ICCVAM developed a defined approach that uses non-animal data to predict three skin sensitization endpoints:
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| Open-source software to implement an integrated testing strategy based on a Bayesian network | NICEATM and collaborators with Procter & Gamble developed open-source software to implement an integrated testing strategy (a type of defined approach) for skin sensitization potency based on a Bayesian network. The model provides a numerical probability that a substance belongs in each of four potency classes. |
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Defined Approaches for Endocrine Disruption
| Project | Description | Publication |
|---|---|---|
| Identification of substances with the potential to interact with the androgen receptor | NICEATM and EPA developed a defined approach that combines data from 11 high-throughput screening tests with a computational model to identify substances with the potential to interact with androgen receptors in a cell. Androgens are a class of hormones, produced largely by the testes, that serve as the primary male hormones. |
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| Identification of substances with the potential to interact with the estrogen receptor | NICEATM validated a defined approach developed by EPA that combines data from 18 high-throughput screening tests with a computational model to identify chemicals with the potential to interact with the estrogen receptors in a cell. Estrogens are a class of hormones, produced largely by the ovaries, that serve as the primary female hormones. |
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| Selecting a minimal set of assays to screen chemicals for estrogen and androgen receptor interaction | NICEATM and EPA analyzed the high-throughput screening based models described above to identify a subset of assays that would provide similarly accurate predictions of endocrine disruption while minimizing the resources required to run defined approaches. For detecting estrogenic substances as few as four assays could be used. For substances interacting with the androgen pathway as few as five assays provided similar performance as the full model. |
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