Sep 24, 2025 | Meet RISK-HUNT3R, News
Last week marked an inspiring milestone for the ASPIS cluster, with two major events taking place back-to-back: EUROTOX 2025 and the ASPIS Open Symposium. Together, they brought scientists, regulators, and industry representatives into one space to share progress, strengthen collaboration, and discuss the future of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) in regulatory science.
EUROTOX 2025: Bringing science closer to regulatory use
At EUROTOX, RISK-HUNT3R and ASPIS partners showcased advances in NAMs and their role in shaping the future of risk assessment.
• A dedicated session on assessing and communicating uncertainty in Next Generation Risk Assessment (NGRA) sparked valuable discussion on how to make emerging methods more transparent, reliable, and regulatory-ready.
• Another session on advanced human liver test systems highlighted how cutting-edge in vitro models can improve drug and chemical safety evaluation while reducing reliance on animal testing.
These sessions underlined both the scientific potential and the ethical importance of transitioning to modern testing strategies.
ASPIS Open Symposium
Following EUROTOX, the ASPIS Open Symposium brought together RISK-HUNT3R, PrecisionTox, and ONTOX for two days of interactive sessions. Here, the focus was on building momentum around new tools, case studies, and collaborative initiatives to accelerate the regulatory uptake of NAMs.
A particular highlight was the discussion on ASPA, the interactive workflow developed within RISK-HUNT3R to operationalize NGRA, as a key example of how structured workflows can guide users through the NGRA process and support regulatory integration.
Best Poster Award winners for their outstanding contributions:
Eliska Kuchovska (ONTOX; IUF – Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine) – Regulation of key neurodevelopmental processes by disease pathways and nuclear receptors in a human Neurosphere Assay
Shaleen Glasgow (PrecisionTox; University of Birmingham) – Comparative transcriptomics of Daphnia and Bio-medical models for the evolutionary conservation of a gene network for toxicant associated fatty liver disease
Eike Cöllen (RISK-HUNT3R; University of Konstanz) – Rapid identification of neurotoxicity alerts for multiple compound classes by high-throughput single cell Ca2+ assays
By joining forces, ASPIS projects are moving NAMs from the research bench into regulatory practice, shaping a system that is more reliable, more human-relevant, and less dependent on animal testing.
First ASPA Paper Submitted!
Great news: the very first paper on the ASPA workflow has just been submitted. This is a big milestone for the project and for advancing NGRA in practice.
While under review, you can already explore the preprint here: https://zenodo.org/records/16993943
Sep 16, 2025 | Meet RISK-HUNT3R
The 13th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences brought us to Rio de Janeiro, and what an inspiring week it was! 🌍✨
Together with our ASPIS cluster colleagues from ONTOX and PrecisionTox, the RISK-HUNT3R delegation joined hundreds of scientists, regulators and innovators from around the world to exchange ideas and showcase the latest in next-generation safety testing.
Our contributions highlighted new ways to make safety testing less reliant on animal studies, from exploring how Physiologically Based Kinetic (PBK) models can improve toxicokinetics assessment, to shining a spotlight on ASPA.
ASPA is an interactive NGRA workflow that systematically guides users through the entire risk assessment process. By bringing structure and clarity to this complex challenge, ASPA makes it easier to turn innovative science into practical, usable tools that can support real-world decision-making.
While not everyone from the project could join us in Rio, the delegation represented the energy, creativity and progress of the wider consortium. Our colleagues shared posters, co-chaired sessions and joined inspiring discussions on AI, NAMs and sustainable innovation. Every conversation, from the plenary stage to the coffee breaks, reinforced the sense of a community working together for a common goal: advancing human-relevant approaches that support the 3Rs and pave the way to a future without animal testing.
We return from WC13 motivated by the steps forward we’ve made together and grateful for the chance to connect with so many brilliant colleagues around the world.
Here’s to keeping the momentum going, and to building the next chapter of innovative, human-relevant chemical safety science! 🙌
Jul 23, 2025 | Meet RISK-HUNT3R, News
The whole RISK-HUNT3R consortium convened in June in Helsinki for a truly energizing week, bringing together project members and stakeholders to shape the future of chemical risk assessment.
💡 Across four packed days, we:
- Demonstrated the ASPA workflow for Next Generation Risk Assessment (NGRA) and showcased the NAM toolbox and linked innovations
- Presented ongoing RISK-HUNT3R NGRA case studies
- Engaged in a thought-provoking panel discussion on the impact of RISK-HUNT3R and ASPA for the European Commission NAM Roadmap
- Explored RISK-HUNT3R sustainability efforts and valorisation strategies for NAM-based NGRA
- Held poster session on RISK-HUNT3R scientific and implementation achievements and enjoyed Junior Scientist speed presentations of NAM innovations
- Showcased the submitted OECD IATA case studies
Reflecting on the ASPA and NAMASTOX, our SRAB member Nicholas Ball (Dow) illustratively explained:
“𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘚𝘗𝘈 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘸𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪. 𝘓𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘴, 𝘦𝘵𝘤. 𝘕𝘈𝘔𝘈𝘚𝘛𝘖𝘟 𝘢𝘭𝘭o𝘸𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘳, 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘸𝘢𝘺 – 𝘴𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰.”
A huge 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 to all contributors for making this event a true success. The collaboration, insights and dedication witnessed here will shape the next steps in the journey toward human-relevant, sustainable safety science.
Jul 23, 2025 | Meet RISK-HUNT3R
Last June, the third workshop on the 𝑹𝒐𝒂𝒅𝒎𝒂𝒑 𝒕𝒐𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒑𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 European Commission’s took place in Helsinki, at the European Chemicals Agency, as a key step in the EU efforts to move beyond animal testing and embrace methods that are more relevant to human health.
Three working groups presented short- and long-term actions to accelerate the adoption of modern, animal free testing approaches -NAMs- while maintaining high standards in chemical safety.
ASPIS cluster and RISK-HUNT3R partners along with representatives from EU agencies, industry, academia, NGOs and regulatory bodies actively contributed to shaping the outcomes presented, aiming to:
- Promote the progress and official acceptance of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) within regulatory frameworks
- Guarantee high-quality, science-based safety assessments that protect both human health and the environment
- Facilitate a smooth and coordinated transition within the EU regulatory landscape
- Shape final recommendations for the roadmap, which is planned for release in early 2026!
🎥 Workshop presentations and discussion are available here: Day 1 and Day 2.
We look forward to further collaboration and shared knowledge to drive the transition to non-animal methods throughout Europe!
Jun 11, 2025 | Meet RISK-HUNT3R
After dedicated efforts behind the scenes, the ASPA-NGRA expert workshop finally took place in Berlin two weeks ago, bringing together a dynamic group of scientists, regulators, and stakeholders for two days of focused, hands-on discussions. The event centered on refining and applying the ASPA workflow within real-world Next-Generation Risk Assessment (NGRA) contexts.
The workshop created a highly collaborative environment, sparking meaningful exchanges on how the ASPA framework can effectively support regulatory decision-making and help accelerate the transition toward a more human-relevant, animal-free approach to chemical safety assessment.
We extend our sincere thanks to all participants for their engagement and expertise, which greatly contributed to the success of the event. Special recognition goes to Mirjam Luijten (RIVM National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) and Matthias Herzler (BfR – German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) for their leading roles in organizing and shaping the scientific program, along with the local BfR organizing team for their outstanding logistical support.
We are also grateful to our consortium partners for their valuable contributions, including Bob van de Water (Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, University of Leiden), Marcel Leist (University of Konstanz), and our colleagues from the broader ASPIS cluster, Rafael Gozalbes (ONTOX) and John Colbourne (PrecisionTox), who delivered insightful presentations.
The discussions led to the identification of clear follow-up actions, and we are excited to continue advancing this important work in the weeks to come.
Stay tuned for further updates as the ASPA-NGRA initiative progresses.
May 27, 2025 | Meet RISK-HUNT3R, News
After months of preparation, the ASPA-NGRA Workshop is finally taking place – 27–28 May at the BfR in Berlin!
Hosted by RISK-HUNT3R and co-organised by EFSA, ECHA, OECD, JRC, EPA, NIH/NIEHS, ONTOX, PrecisionTox, and BfR, it will bring together international experts and stakeholders to critically assess the ASPA workflow for NGRA, ensuring it aligns with the emerging needs of regulatory acceptance for chemical safety in next-generation risk assessment (NGRA).
ASPA is the interactive NGRA workflow that guides users through all steps and decisions of a risk assessment process. It aims to drive consistency and reproducibility in decision-making and is designed to support regulatory and industry stakeholders in the transition towards a safer, animal-free hazard and risk assessment framework.
🔗 Learn more about ASPA
We look forward to inspiring discussion, collaboration, and forward-thinking progress.
Stay updated for the workshop outcome!
