Technical Training in Non-Animal Safety Methods Held in China

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Dec. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Institute for In Vitro Sciences (IIVS), with support from its Industry Council for the Advancement of Regulatory Acceptance of Alternatives (ICARAA), conducted a training course on September 23-27 for in vitro safety testing methods for scientists from China's NIFDC (National Institutes for Food and Drug Control), a division of the China Food and Drug Administration.

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The training was held at the Institute for Food and Cosmetic Control (IFCC) of the National Institutes for Food and Drug Control (NIFDC) in Beijing. The goal of the training was to familiarize NIFDC scientists with the biological relevance, critical techniques and data interpretation of in vitro (non-animal) methods for safety testing.  Twenty-eight  participants  from 18 provincial Institutes for Food and Drug Control, Institutes for Medical Device Control and Institute for Food and Drug Safety Evaluation of NIFDC attended.  Lectures and hands-on laboratory sessions focused on methods for eye irritation, skin irritation and sensitization.

Wang Youchun, Vice Director-General of NIFDC spoke at the opening ceremony and emphasized that it is "very necessary to expedite training and research of in vitro cosmetic safety evaluation methods and promote in vitro safety evaluation technology application and academic exchanges in Food and Drug Control systems in order to adapt to the international cosmetics testing technology development and to meet the requirements for actual inspection work."

The CFDA is currently responsible for the registration and subsequent post market surveillance of cosmetic products.  While previous regulations have relied on animal testing, the regulatory and scientific community within China is investigating how existing knowledge of ingredients and in vitro testing could be incorporated into their regulatory framework.

"In vitro methods can provide significant technical advantages over animal models. Our training courses highlight the key technical steps that are necessary to generate relevant and reliable data," explains Erin Hill, IIVS co-founder and Vice President for Program Development. According to NIFDC participants "the training not only facilitated the application of in vitro test methods in the domestic cosmetic industry, but also laid a solid foundation for the further academic exchange, technical cooperation and personnel training between NIFDC and IIVS."  

About IIVS

IIVS is a non-profit research and testing laboratory dedicated to the advancement of in vitro (non-animal) methods worldwide. Founded in 1997, IIVS has worked with industry and government agencies to implement in vitro testing strategies that limit animal use while supplying key information for product safety and efficacy decisions.

SOURCE Institute for In Vitro Sciences