VITO-ABS your #1 independent provider of toxicology and ecotoxicology services! The ABS test facility is certified for GLP, ISO9001(Quality), ISO14001(Environment) and OHSAS18001 (Safety). The ABS-team is dedicated to excellence in research collaborations, to biological testing services and to continuous improvement of our quality standards.

1. 12/02/2014
VITO, VIsion on TechnOlogy
Environmental Risk & Health (MRG)
Team: Applied Bio & molecular Systems (ABS)
An Van Rompay and Jeroen Van Deun
2014

2. 12/02/2014 2
© 2013, VITO NV
VITO, VIsion on TechnOlogy
» a leading European independent research and consultancy centre;
» in the areas of cleantech and sustainable development;
» elaborating solutions for the large societal challenges of today and
tomorrow.

3. 12/02/2014 3
© 2013, VITO NV
More
sustainable
industry
Reorganise our
environment
Reduce fossil
energy
dependency
Research on challenges of our society
Societal
challenge
Economic
opportunity

4. 12/02/2014 4
© 2013, VITO NV
Themes
Sustainable
Energy
Sustainable
Chemistry
Sustainable
Materials
Management
Sustainable
Land Use
Sustainable
Health

5. 12/02/2014 5
© 2013, VITO NV
Applied Bio & molecular Systems
WHO? WHAT? FOR?
9 Researchers
(Biologist, Toxicologist, bio-
engineers, statisticians)
6 Expert technicians
10 (Post-)docs
Toxicology
Ecotoxicology
Government
(Flanders, Belgium, Europe,…)
Industry

6. 12/02/2014 6
© 2013, VITO NV
Toxicological
assessments
ABS – Toxicological assessments
ECVAM validations
Transfer of methods
Performance assessment
Validation of
alternative
methods
Nanoparticles
Omics (genomics and proteomics)
Sensitization
Endocrine disruption
Neurodevelopment
Embryotoxicity
R&D
alternative
methods &
Biomarker
discovery
Toxicity (Acute & chronic)
Biodegradation
Water/soil/waste
CRO
Ecotoxicity
testing
Skin corrosion
Skin irritation
Skin Sensitization
Eye irritation
Genotoxicity
Cytotoxicity
Endocrine disruption
Inflammation responses
Embryotoxicity
Neurodevelopment
CRO
alternative
testing
(replacing test
animals)

7. 12/02/2014 7
© 2013, VITO NV
ABS – Quality labels• ISO 9001 = Quality
• ISO 14001= Environment
• OHSAS 18001 = Safety Good Laboratory Practice (GLP)

8. 12/02/2014 8
© 2013, VITO NV
1200 m² of laboratory space:
Operational Biological model systems for
human toxicology and ecotoxicology
studies
Measurement devices
ABS – Facility

9. 12/02/2014 9
© 2013, VITO NV
Toxicological
assessments
ABS – Toxicological assessments
Skin corrosion
Skin irritation
Skin sensitization
Eye irritation
Genotoxicity
Cytotoxicity
Endocrine disruption
Inflammation responses
Embryotoxicity
Neurodevelopment
CRO
alternative
testing
(replacing test
animals)

10. 12/02/2014 10
© 2013, VITO NV
Genotoxicity
In vitro micronucleus test (OECD 487)*
Ames II screen
Ames MPF and Penta I test
Comet test in human blood cells
Cytotoxicity
Cell lines for safety or bio-compatibility testing
(e.g. 3T3, Beas-2B, A549, THP-1, …)
with multiple endpoints: NR-uptake, MTT, …
Skin sensitization
VitosensTM test
Skin corrosion
CorrositexTM test (OECD 435)*
3D-skin model RHE (OECD431)*
Skin irritation
3D-skin model RHE (OECD439)*
Developmental toxicity
Zebrafish teratogenicity assay (larvae < 7 days)
Endocrine disrupting properties
Human reporter cell lines (OECD 455, OECD 457)*
hER transformed yeast cells
ABS – CRO Alternative testing
Eye irritation
BCOP test (OECD 437)*
3D-eye model HCE test
Neurodevelopmental toxicity
Zebrafish neurotoxicity assay (larvae < 7 days)
Inflammation responses
Measurement of cytokines (e,g, IL-6, Il-8, Il-1β,
TNF-α in cell lines
* These tests are approved for CLP and REACH
Endocrine disrupting tests only after license agreement

11. 12/02/2014 11
© 2013, VITO NV
Toxicological
assessments
ABS – Toxicological assessments
ECVAM validations
Transfer of methods
Performance assessment
Validation of
alternative
methods

12. 12/02/2014 12
© 2013, VITO NV
ABS – Validation of alternative methods
• Ring tests (participation and organization)
• EURL-ECVAM validations of alternative tests replacing test animals
• Inter- and intra laboratory transfer of biological methods
Examples of projects:
• EU-Reprotect: validation of hEr and hAr cells – model for endocrine disruption
• Validation study of HCE (L’Oréal / EURL-ECVAM / Cosmetics Europe) – model for eye irritation
• Validation study of OS-REP (Henkel) – model for skin irritation
• Validation study of VITOSENS® in collaboration with Cosmetics Europe– model for skin sensitization

13. 12/02/2014 13
© 2013, VITO NV
Toxicological
assessments
ABS – Toxicological assessments
Toxicity (Acute & chronic)
Biodegradation
Water/soil/waste
CRO
Ecotoxicity
testing

14. 12/02/2014 14
© 2013, VITO NV
Aquatic tests
• Microtox test (ISO11348)
• Algae test (OECD 201)*
• Waterflea tests (OECD 202, 211)*
• Fish tests (OECD 203, 204, 212, 236)*
Terrestrial tests
• Microtox-SP test
• Plant tests (OECD 208)*
• Worm tests (OECD 207, 222)*
Biodegradation tests
OECD 301b+d, 302*
ABS – CRO Ecotoxicity testing
* These tests are approved for CLP and REACH

15. 12/02/2014 15
© 2013, VITO NV
Hazard characterization of Chemicals
o Pharmaceuticals
o Chemicals
o Agrochemicals
o Cosmetics
o Veterinary drugs
o Biocides
o …
ABS – Application fields
Hazard profiling of food and environmental samples
o Food
o Effluents
o Drinking water
o Ground and surface waters
o Waste water
o Soils and sediments
o Waste materials
o Air particles
o …

16. 12/02/2014 16
© 2013, VITO NV
• Chemicals and products:
o Testing according to GLP principles for registration purposes : ecotoxicity & in vitro
testing (CLP & REACH) for industry
o Screening novel products for their intrinsic hazardous properties for industry
• Environmental assessment for industry and government:
o Ecotoxicological effluent quality assessment as part of the environmental permit
conditions
o Drinking water resources: looking for emerging compounds by the use of assays for
cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and endocrine disruption
o Drinking water: sampling and looking for best purifications systems by the use of
genotoxicity
o Air Particles: sampling and effect based measurements on particles and their extracts
o Hazard characterization of complex waste materials by effect-based test methods
o Hazard evaluation of industrial processes as a function of waste water quality to
direct/improve processes and waste water treatment and become a good end of pipe
water quality
o Hazard characterization of excavated waste and air particles at landfill mining activities
ABS – Examples of projects