EU uses Roche system in non-animal testing initiative
The system is being used in the EU\'s SEURAT initiative to assess product safety
Roche’s xCELLigence RTCA System is being used by the European Union’s (EU) Safety Evaluation Ultimately to Replace Animal Testing (SEURAT) initiative to assess the human safety of new products and their ingredients.
A SEURAT sponsored research team used the system’s continuous real time impedance measurements to investigate renal epithelial monolayer formation and barrier function. To test repeated dose effects, a human renal proximal tubule cell line (the RPTEC/TERT1 from Evercyte) was cultured on electronic sensor containing E-Plates 96 (ACEA Biosciences). Over several weeks cell impedance was monitored and the effect of nephrotoxin treatment on it investigated. The findings showed that the three different nephrotoxins initially increased impedance values as ephithelial cell morphology was altered. Subsequently there was a decrease in impedance due to cell death.
Roche said the investigation showed the xCELLigence System to be a sensitive, non-invasive tool for monitoring repeated dose effects on epithelial cell function and cytotoxicity.
The EU’s SEURAT initiative will run for five years from 2011 to 2016.
The full marketing ban on animal testing for cosmetics products in the EU will come into force on 11 March 2013.