Engaging Researchers in Animal-Free 21st Century Science

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and Johns Hopkins University Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT) host a workshop series focused on animal-free new approach methods (NAMs) in research and testing. These free online workshops feature nonanimal research and career development presentations by experts from across industry, academia, government, and policy.

Workshop No. 6, Green Toxicology: Making NAMs Part of the Green Chemistry Tool Box

Date: March 17, 2026

Time: 2 PM ET via Zoom

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Workshop Summary

Green chemistry is central to building a more sustainable and responsible future. While the green chemistry tool box includes powerful methods to assess efficiency, yield, and energy use, it still lacks robust, human-relevant tools to evaluate toxicity. Too often, toxicity assessment relies on outdated or overly simplistic metrics that fail to reflect real human and environmental health impacts.

In this workshop, Prof. Maertens will explore how nonanimal, new approach methodolgoies (NAMs) can fill this critical gap. By integrating in vitro, in silico, and AI-enabled approaches, NAMs provide faster, more accurate, and mechanistically informative insights into toxicity. These tools not only improve human relevance, but also allow chemists to design safer chemicals from the outset—making toxicology an integral part of green chemistry rather than an afterthought.

About the Speaker

Prof. Maertens is an Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing, where she leads the Green Toxicology Initiative. Her research combines computational modeling, advanced in vitro systems, and artificial intelligence to understand how chemicals perturb biological systems. Her work aims to support safer chemical design while reducing reliance on animal testing.

Workshop No. 5, Addressing the Preference for Animal-Based Research Methods

Workshop No. 5 featured Catharine E, Krebs, PhD from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine discussing animal methods bias, a peer review bias characterized by a preference for animal-based research methods of lack of expertise to adequately evaluate nonanimal methods. In addition to a review of the current evidence for animal methods bias, this presentation provided recommendations for research, journals, and funders for mitigating its harmful effects.

Workshop No. 4, A NAMs-Focused Literature Searching Approach

Workshop No. 4 featured Rob Wright, MLS of the Johns Hopkins University Welch Medical Library leading a participants through a structured, NAMs-focused approach to searching the scientific literature. Using PubMed, Rod demonstrated how to build a targeted search concept, with a focus on organoids and microphysiological systems.

Workshop No. 3, Exploring Brain MPS, Organoid Intelligence & Career Pathways

Workshop No. 3 featured both a scientific presentation and a career panel. Dr. Itzy Morales Pantoja presented on recent advances in brain microphysiological systems that are reshaping how we model neurological function and disease. The career panel featured representatives from academia, industry, government, and policy sharing their career journeys and discussing their current work.

Career Panel:

• Eryn Slankster-Schmierer, PhD – Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
• Annalisa Gastaldello, PhD – Joint Research Centre of the European Commission
• James J. Hickman, PhD – Hesperos
• Itzy Morales Pantoja, PhD – Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing

Workshop No. 2, Antibodies and Beyond: The Power of Animal-Free, Recombinant Antibodies

Workshop No. 2 featured Dr. Esther Wenzel, Co-Founder and COO of the biotechnology company Abcalis GmbH. Dr. Wenzel gave an interactive and informative introduction to antibodies including how they are developed, how animals play a role, and what the advantages and disadvantages of animal-free antibodies are.

Workshop No. 1, Understanding Translatability and Crafting Competitive Grant Applications

Workshop No. 1 featured Dr. Jarrod Bailey, Director of Medical Research at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, discussing how human-focused research provides greater clinical benefits, due to greater biological similarity and specificity of human-based methods and Dr. Angela Hvitved, Program Director at the Alternatives Research & Development Foundation, providing an overview of funding opportunities for nonanimal research methods and practical tips for crafting a strong proposal that is tailored to the target funding opportunity.