International Foundation for Ethical Research (IFER)

Register today for the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) NAMs Conference: State of Science on Development and Use of NAMs for Chemical Safety Testing! Don't miss this opportunity to learn more about how using #NAMs will help reduce the use of vertebrate animals in chemical testing while protecting human health and the environment. Topics such as NAMs Work Plan Implementation and Validation Update, Exposure NAMs, ‘Omics, and In Vitro-In Vivo Extrapolation will be discussed. Participants can attend the meeting online or in-person at EPA’s campus at Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. 🗓️ Date:    November 5, 1:00-5:30 PM EST November 6, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM EST For more information, please visit: https://lnkd.in/ee4YScQd

🌐 Join Us to Learn About AI Innovations in Place of Animal Testing at the 2024 Symposium! 🌐 We're excited to share information about the upcoming virtual symposium hosted by Texas A&M's Interdisciplinary Faculty of Toxicology. This event will delve into AI in toxicology, alternative methods to animal studies, and more. 🗓️ Date: August 21, 2024 ⏰ Time: 2:30 - 5:30 PM (CST) Don't miss this opportunity to learn from industry leaders and experts. 👉 Register for free at https://lnkd.in/gXfGsuwZ #RegulatoryScience #Toxicology #AIinScience #AlternativeMethods #ScienceInnovation #IFER #EthicalResearch

🎉 Eleven Finalists Compete for IFER Fellowships! 🏆 Each year, IFER awards Graduate Student Fellowships to students who are developing and using human-relevant methodologies that reduce reliance on animal models in science. Since our founding nearly 40 years ago, we have provided over $2 million in funding to over 80 PIs and students working in diverse areas of research. Earlier this year, IFER solicited pre-proposal applications for its 2024-25 Graduate Student Fellowship for Alternatives to the Use of Animals in Science. We received 53 applications, and our Scientific Advisory Board narrowed down the field of applicants to eleven. These finalists are working on innovative, human-relevant research projects to overcome reliance on animal models in many areas of research. One finalist’s project uses 3D human brain models developed from stem cells to examine the effect of #cannabis exposure on #neurodevelopment, while another is using a blood brain barrier on a chip to investigate neuroinflammation in #multiplesclerosis. Other projects focus on creating human relevant models to study #cancer, #fibrosis, and host-pathogen interactions. The finalists submitted their full fellowship proposals last week. IFER’s Scientific Advisory Board is now in the process of reviewing the details of their proposed projects. They are eager to select this year’s fellowship recipients. We will be sure to keep you updated on progress that is being made with the IFER fellowships this cycle—stay tuned! #IFER #IFERFellow #3Rs #HumaneScience #EthicalResearch #graduateresearch #NAMs

Kaihua Chen, IFER fellow and mentee of Dr. Jim McGrath at the University of Rochester, received an IFER travel award to support her attendance at the 2024 MPS World Summit in Seattle, Washington last month. She was selected to give an oral presentation on her research which involves modeling sepsis-induced brain injury using an advanced microphysiological system, the µSiM (Microphysiological System Enabled by a Silicon Nanomembrane). “This platform represents a significant stride towards more humane and relevant scientific methods, aligning closely with the International Foundation for Ethical Research (IFER) mission to reduce and replace the use of animals in scientific research,” Kaihua noted. “This system utilizes ultrathin (100 nm) nanomembranes with exceptional permeability that facilitate seamless cross-talk between blood and brain compartments,” Kaihua explained. “Its innovative design allows for dynamic assessments of the BBB, significantly enhancing our ability to study complex brain responses to inflammation without the ethical and biological complications associated with animal models.” At the meeting, Kaihua discussed the system in more detail, including advantages of using ultrathin membranes and scalable microfluidic inserts. She also discussed how she used a cocktail of cytokines to mimic the cytokine storms seen in sepsis, and how that led to rapid BBB disruption, increased permeability and astrocyte activation, all important factors contributing to cognitive decline in patients surviving sepsis. She also discussed how physiological shear stress conditioning could mitigate BBB disruption. “This research not only advances our understanding of sepsis-induced cognitive impairment but also embodies the ethos of IFER by providing a potent alternative to animal testing,” Kaihua explained. “Our findings underscore the potential of MPS to offer more relevant human data and reduce the reliance on animal models, thereby aligning with the broader scientific movement towards more ethical research methodologies.” Learn more about Kaihua’s experience at the 2024 MPS World Summit here: https://lnkd.in/gHy3C6p2 #IFER #IFERFellow #3Rs #HumaneScience #EthicalResearch #graduateresearch #MPSWorldSummit #MPS #NAMs #sepsis #sepsisresearch #UniversityofRochester

Exciting News: Joining IFER as Director of Science and Research Programs! We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Lauren M. Stein has joined the International Foundation for Ethical Research (IFER) as our new Director of Science and Research Programs! Dr. Stein brings a wealth of experience, with a PhD in Pharmacology and Physiology and an extensive background in translational biomedical research. Her work spans academia and industry, where she has consistently championed ethical scientific practices and the reduction of reliance on animal models. Over the past decade, technological advancements have provided a viable path toward non-animal models, and Dr. Stein is eager to harness these innovations at IFER. Her vision includes: - Leading the adoption of AI-enhanced methodologies to eliminate animal testing. - Promoting transparent, reproducible, and ethical science. - Fostering a culture where critical thinking and ethical practices thrive. Dr. Stein’s expertise aligns perfectly with IFER’s mission to advance humane and innovative scientific methodologies. We are confident that her leadership will greatly contribute to our goals and are excited to have her on board. Welcome, Dr. Stein!

📢 Exciting Virtual Training Opportunity Alert! 🚀 Sign up TODAY for an upcoming virtual workshop on CompuCell3D, happening from July 28th to August 4th, 2024. This FREE hands-on virtual training is a fantastic chance to delve into computational modeling and its applications in biomedical research. Registration is due TODAY, so don’t miss out! Course Includes: - Python Bootcamp (July 28th) - Multicellular Virtual Tissue Modeling Workshop (July 29th - August 4th) - Model-Building Hackathon (August 9th - 11th) 🔗 Learn more and register: https://lnkd.in/gzVU4Vh2 #TrainingOpportunity #CompuCell3D #BiologicalModeling #VirtualTissueSimulations #3Rs #EthicalResearch

IFER is excited to highlight the work of Alan Kim, a current IFER Graduate Fellowship recipient from the Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT) at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Alan is a PhD candidate in the Johns Hopkins Environmental Health & Engineering Department under the mentorship of Dr. Lena Smirnova. His project involves developing a synaptogenesis assay using 3D brain organoids, in place of animal models, to study developmental neurotoxicity. Alan, who has received IFER funding since 2021, explained that over the last several decades, there has been an increase in neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism and ADHD, and researchers believe this is in part due to exposure to environmental chemicals. “Many governmental agencies already have their own in-house assays and tests that they use to screen chemical compounds for potential developmental neurotoxicity,” he noted. “However, these models are almost entirely based on animals, and as such, they can take upwards of thousands of rat or mice pups, millions of dollars, and several months of time, all to screen one chemical compound for potential developmental neurotoxicity…We have a backlog of tens of thousands of chemicals that haven’t yet been tested for these endpoints, and as such, the current paradigm of using animal models to fix this issue is just not going to work.” Alans’ project involves using a fluorescently labeled reporter system using induced pluripotent stem cells. The cells are differentiated into neurons, and the model can be used as a screening tool for chemicals that are potentially neurotoxic. Learn more about the 3D human-based brain organoid model that Alan and the team at CAAT are using to potentially replace the use of animals in developmental neurotoxicity tests here: https://lnkd.in/gHXhrdWk #IFER #3Rs #HumaneScience #NAMs #CAAT #graduateresearch #organoid 

The third MPS World Summit wrapped up last week, and it was an incredible event. Nearly 1,000 individuals from 37 countries registered for the meeting and all of us had the pleasure of learning about the cutting-edge research that is taking place in this field. We left the meeting in Seattle feeling inspired about the progress being made with MPS devices and the potential they have to replace and reduce animal use across many areas of research and testing. IFER is proud to have been a silver sponsor of the meeting and we thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this special event and having a chance to network with fellow attendees. The program was full of terrific talks, and we were pleased to see several IFER fellows and their mentors contributing to the event. Prashant Hariharan, IFER fellow from 2020-2023, presented a poster on Tuesday highlighting his choroid plexus-on-a-chip model, which he uses to study how cerebrospinal fluid secretion and blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier function are affected by hydrocephalus-associated inflammation. Prashant is currently a PhD candidate in the Wayne State University - Biomedical Engineering department at Wayne State University working with Carolyn Harris. Dowlette Alam El Din is a current IFER fellow at the Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT) at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is a PhD candidate in the Johns Hopkins Environmental Health & Engineering department and mentee of Lena Smirnova. She gave an oral presentation on Thursday regarding her work on how chronic low-dose domoic acid exposure influences neuronal network function in hiPSC derived brain organoids. Kaihua Chen, a current IFER fellow and PhD candidate at the University of Rochester and mentee of Jim McGrath, gave a talk on Friday highlighting her work investigating the impact of a cytokine storm on astrogliosis in a human blood-brain barrier microfluidic model of sepsis. We also had the opportunity to meet with several mentors of IFER fellows, past and present, at the meeting, including Thomas Hartung, Lena Smirnova, and George Truskey. A special thank you to the organizers of the conference for all their efforts to advance the MPS field! We are already looking forward to next year’s meeting in Brussels. #mpsworldsummit #microphysiologicalsystems #organchips #organoids

Are you attending the 2024 MPS World Summit in Seattle? If so, come see IFER-funded student, Kaihua Chen, a PhD candidate at the University of Rochester, present her research. Kaihua will be giving a talk entitled “Investigating Impact of a ‘Cytokine Storm’ on Astrogliosis in Human Blood-Brain Barrier in a Microfluidic Model of Sepsis” on Friday, June 14 at 9:40 AM PST.   #IFER #IFERFellow #NAMs #mpsworldsummit2024 #mpsworldsummit #microphysiologicalsystems #HumaneScience #graduateresearch

If you are attending the 2024 MPS World Summit in Seattle this week, be sure to stop by IFER-funded student Dowlette Alam El Din‘s talk, “Chronic low-dose domoic acid exposure influences neuronal network function in hiPSC derived brain organoids,” tomorrow at 3:40 PM in Summit Building Rooms 323-325! #IFER #IFERFellow #NAMs #mpsworldsummit2024 #mpsworldsummit #HumaneScience #graduateresearch