Xeno-free Reagents in Chemical Assessments

Tuesday, June 2, 2026
10:00 am to 12:15 pm ET / 14:00 to 16:15 UTC

Featuring:

Clive Roper, BSc, PhD, CBiol, CSci, ERT, FRSB
Director, Roper Toxicology Consulting Limited

Angela Hvitved, PhD
Director, Alternatives Research & Development Foundation (ARDF)

John Curd, MSc, PhD
CEO & Co-Founder, PeptiMatrix

Katharina Nitsche, MSc
PhD Candidate, Wageningen University & Research

Stina Oredsson, PhD
Professor Emerita & Researcher, Lund University

Eryn Slankster-Schmierer, PhD (moderator)
Regulatory Testing Specialist, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM)

Training Overview

Researchers commonly rely on animal-based reagents for their work; from biomedical science to toxicology—even human-based in vitro assays—scientists regularly use them in their protocols. However, these reagents introduce unnecessary variation within data that animal-free alternatives can avoid. In this webinar, experts in the field will discuss some of the problems with animal-based components and highlight the advantages of xeno-free reagents. Attendees will also hear from experts who are successfully using alternatives to animal-based reagents to improve the reliability of their data. This training will conclude with ample time for discussion amongst the presenters and an audience-led Q&A.

Presentation Topics & Learning Objectives

Clive Roper: Improving data with Animal Free Chemically Defined Media (AFCD)

Scope, problems, and innate variability of animal-based components
Advantages of chemically defined media
Overview of animal free solutions

Angela Hvitved: Advantages of Advocating Xeno-free

Why should we invest?

John Curd: Animal-free 3D cell culture for more reproducible science

The problem with animal-derived matrices and how it impacts your data
The solution: fully-defined and reproducible matrices
Example data and potential applications

Katharina Nitsche: Exploring animal-free hydrogels under static and dynamic culture conditions with HepaRG cells

Dynamic culturing, not only with MPS
Basal liver function and how to potentially improve them with alternative hydrogels

Stina Oredsson: Culturing of human cells in 3D and 3D in mono-culture and co-culture in a xeno-free medium

Presenter Bios (More coming soon…)

John Curd, MSc, PhD, has a background in translational research and innovation strategy. He has led the commercialisation of academic breakthroughs into scalable, real-world solutions and is the CEO of PeptiMatrix. PeptiMatrix is a team of matrix biologists, cancer scientists, toxicologists, and biomaterial engineers who have worked together to develop an innovative, animal-free solution for 3D cell culture. Their mission is to empower researchers to achieve more predictive and reproducible results with our animal-free hydrogels, delivering deeper insight into the mechanisms of disease and accelerating the development of safer and more effective therapies. Under his leadership, PeptiMatrix has secured major grant funding, launched multiple tissue-specific hydrogel products, and attracted significant investment to accelerate its mission of transforming in vitro research and reducing reliance on animal models.

Katharina Nitsche is a PhD candidate in the Toxicology Division at Wageningen University & Research, specialising in the implementation of microphysiological systems into Next-Generation Risk Assessment. In collaboration with Unilever SEAC, her research addresses critical challenges associated with microphysiological systems, from quantifying chemical losses due to non-specific binding to modelling chemical-induced cholestatic injury with different cell culture platforms. In 2024, she joined the Rusyn Group at Texas A&M University to contribute to the public-private TEX-VAL consortium that assesses microphysiological systems within the context of safety decision-making.

Eryn Slankster-Schmierer, PhD, is a regulatory testing specialist at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, where she works to replace animal testing on a global scale with more effective, human relevant, nonanimal methods. She does this by coordinating the NURA (NAM Use for Regulatory Application) program which provides free toxicology training to regulators and scientists throughout industry, government, and academia. She is also the coordinator for the International Council on Animal Protection in OECD Programmes (ICAPO), working globally to advocate for the adoption of non-animal methods into OECD programs.

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