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NTP "Roadmap" Emphasizes Alternatives
http://altweb.jhsph.edu/news/2005/may/20050520.htm
A new document issued by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) offers
one of the federal government's strongest endorsements of the 3Rs of
alternatives. The NTP's "Roadmap for the Future" calls for the
full incorporation of the 3Rs in experimental design and requires
training in humane science for researchers who work with animals:
"The NTP currently emphasizes in the design of its studies full
incorporation of the three principle concepts of
alternatives: replacement, reduction, and refinement. Further, to be
consistent with the Animal Welfare Act and the Public Health Service
rules on animal use, the NTP requires that all animal studies be
designed to eliminate or, at least, minimize any potential pain and
distress. The NTP also requires that investigators and/or contractors
have training in humane experimental techniques and, as possible,
promotes the use of non-invasive approaches in animal studies. The NTP
will hold to these principles and practices as it implements the NTP
Roadmap" (p.4).
The NTP coordinates toxicological testing programs within the federal
government, develops and validates improved testing methods, and works
to strengthen scientific knowledge about potentially hazardous health
effects from chemical and physical exposures. The new roadmap is aimed
at moving away from the current one-animal-test-per-endpoint to a
future of understanding what the chemical does in the body and using
that to predict the toxicity. The long-term goal is to evaluate
toxicological effects based on mechanistic tests.
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