Skip to main content
Physicians Committee Leads Efforts to Expand Global Use of Nonanimal Test Guidelines
The Physicians Committee has served as the secretariat of the International Council on Animal Protection in OECD Programmes (ICAPO) since 2006, coordinating the activities of 13 animal protection organizations that advocate for nonanimal tests at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The OECD develops policies that are agreed upon and used by its 38 member countries and beyond, giving these policies a truly global impact.
As an officially Invited Expert at the OECD, ICAPO is in a unique position to influence testing policies by advocating for the replacement of animal methods and supporting the development of nonanimal methods.
ICAPO works year-round supporting guidance on nonanimal methods that come up for approval at OECD meetings. ICAPO experts from across toxicologic disciplines diligently reviewing and commenting on draft documents, securing the strongest possible language to protect animals and replace them in chemical testing. As the Head of Delegation for ICAPO, Physicians Committee scientist Dr. Eryn Slankster-Schmierer attends these meetings to represent the work and positions ICAPO scientists have developed throughout the year; she has also successfully pushed for on-the-spot interventions which have influenced policy language related to animal use.
This July, the OECD published several new nonanimal test methods:
- A human based liver cell metabolism test to identify how a chemical might affect the body’s detoxification system
- Two new tests, Epi2SensA and α-Sens®, for detecting a chemical’s ability to cause allergic skin reactions, one of which is free from fetal bovine serum, an ingredient common in many in vitro tests
- KeraskinTM Phototoxicity Assay, a human cell-based test to see if a chemical induces sensitivity to light
- A human cell-based test to study whether a chemical affects hormones
- ToxTracker, a new nonanimal method for detecting genotoxicity, or the ability of a substance to damage DNA
When a new method is introduced, scientists and regulators need training to become familiar with and effectively use this method in place of animal methods. Involvement in ICAPO and the OECD provides the Physicians Committee’s team with unique insights that allow them to anticipate training needs. As an example, the Physicians Committee’s NAM Use for Regulatory Application (NURA) program hosted a training on ToxTracker this February, just months before the OECD’s endorsement. Similarly, following the 2025 Test Guideline publications, NURA was the first to provide training on the new skin sensitisation test method called SARA-ICE, just months after publication.
The Physicians Committee continues to work across OECD programs to replace animal use on a global scale wherever possible. Find additional details about the 2026 outcomes of the Test Guideline Programme and other nonanimal guidelines at ICAPO.org.
