Information Resources Via the Internet and World Wide

ELSEVIER Toxicology 173 (2002) 3~jll . , www.elsevier.com/locate/toxicol

Alternatives to animal testing: information resourcesvia the internet and world wide web P.I. (Bert) Hakkinen *, Dianne K. Green

Safety Science& ResearchDivision, Miami Valley Laboratories, The Procter cI Gamble Company, PO Box 538707, Cincinnati OR 45253-8701, USA

Abstract.

Many countries, including the United States, Canada, European Union member states, and others, require that a comprehensivesearch for possible alternatives be completed before beginning some or all researchinvolving animals. Completing comprehensivealternatives searchesand keeping current with information associatedwith alternatives to animal testing is a challenge that will be made easier as people throughout the world gain accessto the Internet and World Wide Web. Numerous Internet and World Wide Web resourcesare available to provide guidance and other information on in vitro and other alternatives to animal testing. A comprehensiveWeb site is Alternatives to Animal Testing on the Web (Altweb), which servesas an online clearinghouse for resources,information, and news about alternatives to animal testing. Examples of other important Web sites include the joint one for the (US) Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCV AM) and the National Toxicology Program (NTP) Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods (NICEA TM) and the Norwegian Reference Centre for Laboratory Animal Science and Alternatives (The NORINA database). Internet mailing lists and online accessto bulletin boards, discussion areas, newsletters,and journals are other ways to access and share information to stay current with alternatives to animal testing. ~ 2002 Elsevier ScienceIreland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Web site; Internet; Alternatives; World Wide Web

I. Introduction animals- these are commonly referred to as the '3Rs' of animal alternatives. Although the word An 'alternative' is a new researchtechnique that 'alternatives' is used frequently, it can mean a either (a) replaces the use of animals altogether, variety of things. Some animal activists are strong (b) reduces the number of animals used or (c) proponents of all animal studies being replaced refinesthe study design to causeless distress to the immediately by non-animal 'alternatives', although experts on alternatives do not consider . Corresponding author. Present address:Toxicology Excel- this to be a possibility in the near future. Others lence for Risk Assessment (TERA), 1757 Chase Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45223, USA. focus on decreasinganimal use (rather than elimi- E-mail addre.~.~es:[email protected] (P.J.B. Hakkinen), nating it) or on mitigating animal pain and dis- [email protected] (D.K. Green). tress. Very few, if any, scientists have argued that

0300-483X/02/S - see front matter (:) 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. Pll: SO300.483X(OZ)OOO 19- 7 ~ P.I.B. Hakkinen,D.K. Green/Toxicology173 (3m) 3-11 they would prefer to use animals even if they Numerous books and book chapters, journals did not have to {Rowan, 1991; Silverman, 1993) and journal articles, and professional societies and many alternatives are actually improvements are available to provide information about alter- over the traditional methods they replaced. De- natives to animal testing (e.g. Hakkinen, 2000). tailed discussions of the history and issues asso- Also, keeping current with information associ- ciated with animal testing and the development ated with alternatives to animal testing is a chal- of alternatives are available from several of the lenge made easier as people throughout the Web sites noted below, e.g. the Altweb and Hu- world have increasing accessto the Internet and mane Society of the United States (HSUS) Web World Wide Web. Ease of accessto information sites. and databases on the Web makes it easier to Many companies, universities and other re- identify duplicate testing, thus reducing animal search institutions have contributed substantial use. time and money to the search for alternatives The Internet and World Wide Web resources and this activity has helped contribute to the described below provide key guidance and other dramatic decline in laboratory animal use over information on in vitro and other alternatives to the past 20 years. For example, tissue culture animal testing. These sites are recommended as (cell and organ cultures, etc.) is now widely used good places to start when searching for informa- in biomedical research and in the last 10-20 tion on alternatives and were chosen based on years, the use of in vitro systems has grown accessibility, quality of information and fre- dramatically, even in disciplines like physiology quency of updates. The reader should note that and toxicology where whole-animal studies have this is not a comprehensive listing given the been the standard. The development of physical ever-expanding number of Internet and Web re- and chemical techniques has also been extremely sources that are becoming available. impactful. New imaging technology (e.g. ultra- sound, nuclear magnetic resonance) provides a non-invasive means to examine research animals, 2. Recommendations(based on quantity and depth thus providing a significant refinement opportu- of content and frequency of updates) nity. Other examples include diagnostic kits that have replaced rabbits in human pregnancy test- 2.1. Altweb: Alternatives to Animal Testing on ing and high-performance liquid chromatogra- the Web http://altwebJhsph.edu phy (HPLC), which has replaced mice in insulin potency testing. The intent of Altweb is to be 'the online Organisms such as invertebrates, early-stage clearinghouse for resources, information, and vertebrate embryos, and microorganisms can be news about alternatives to animal testing' and to viewed as either replacements or refinements serve as the most comprehensiveresource on an- when replacing vertebrates. The CAM Test, or imal alternatives for scientists, educators, veteri- Hen's Egg Test, is used in lieu of rabbits as a narians and individuals throughout the world. screen for eye irritancy. The Ames Test (using This effort is designed to bring together govern- Salmonella bacteria) is an alternative for detect- ment agencies,the academic community, animal ing chemicals that cause mutations. State-of-the- protection groups, and private industry to en- art mathematical and computer modeling courage the use of alternative methods. Some of approaches to biomedical research and testing the information is specifically geared to educa- are likewise replacing and reducing the need for tors and the general public who are interested in animal testing. Toxicologists use mathematical learning more about alternatives to animal test- models known as Quantitative Structure Activity ing. Relationships (QSARs) to predict biological Altweb includes links to other sources of in- (toxic) activity associated with chemical struc- formation on alternatives, and has accessto In- ture. ternet search engines that can be used to search P.J.B. Hakkinen,D.K. Green/Toxic()k)gf,l'7.1~)a+Jf

the National Library of Medicine's TOXLINE and 2.2. National Agricultural Library's Animal other databases. In addition, the Altweb Pain Welfare Information Center (A WIC)-(US) Management Database contains records that have Department of Agriculture been drawn from three major databases: MED- www.nal.usda.govjawicj LINE (with records from TOXLINE as well), AGRICOLA, and AGRIS. Altweb also provides A WIC was establishedin 1986 by the US Con- accessto an impressive list of alternatives-related gresswith the mandate to acquire and disseminate journals, many of which are available in English. information on alternatives and improved method- The 'AltNews' area of the Web site is updated ologies for the humane care, use, and handling of monthly and is 'where you can find the latest news all animals in research,testing, and education. The in alternatives to animal testing. From upcoming A WIC site contains a very comprehensivesection meetingsto the latest developmentsin technology, devoted to 'Alternatives and Literature Searches' if its new and important, you can read about it which provides key information on how to search here'. Also available is an Altweb News Update for alternatives, focusing on methods and guideli- Internet mailing list (seeWeb site for subscription nes, training and education, articles and publica- details). tions, databases, and organizations. Other Under the management of the Johns Hopkins search-related topics include information on the Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAA T), A WIC 'Workshop on Searching for Alternatives', a diverse group of organizations serve on the the' Animal Use Alternatives Thesaurus', and liter- Altweb Project Team, many of which maintain ature searchesfor alternatives. their own Web sitesthat provide key links from and The A WIC site also has a regularly updated to Altweb. These organizations include the Alter- 'News' section, a comprehensive 'Lab Animals' natives Research& Development Foundation; the section and a 'Government and Legal Resources' US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal section which provides links to numerous interna- and Plant Health Inspection Service; the USDA tional regulations, guidelines and policies on Ani- Animal Welfare Infonnation Center (A WIC); the mal Welfare such as the US Animal Welfare Act, Canadian Council on Animal Care; the Center for the European Convention for the Protection of Laboratory Animal Welfare; the US Environmen- Vertebrate Animals Used for Experimental and tal Protection Agency; the US Food and Drug Other Scientific Purposes (1996), etc. Administration; the Fund for the Replacement of Lastly, A WIC provides workshops on meeting Animals in Medical Experiments (FRAME); the the information requirements of the Animal Wel- Humane Society of the United States(HSUS); the fare Act and publishes a series of bibliographic Interagency Coordinating Committee for the Vali- reference products, a newsletter, resource guides, dation of Alternative Methods (ICCV AM); the etc. Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT); the Laboratory Animal Unit, Norwegian College of Veterinary Medicine, Oslo; 3. Other web sites: scientific, academicand the National Library of Medicine; the National regulatory Institutes of Health (NIH); Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare; The Procter & Gamble Company; 3.1. European Centrefor the Validation of The ScientistsCenter for Animal Welfare (SCAW); Alternative Methods (ECV AM) Scientific the University of California Center for Animal Information Service Alternatives; the University of Utrecht, Nether- http://ecvam-si\'jrc.it/index.html lands-Centre for Alternatives to Animal Use and PREXOnline Databases;The VeteransAdministra- The European Centre for the Validation of tion (US V A); and Zentralstelle zur Erfassung und Alternative Methods (ECV AM) is 'the reference Bewertung von Ersatz- und Erganzungsmethoden centre, at an international level, for the develop- zum Tierversuch (ZEBET). ment, scientific and regulatory acceptanceof alter- PJ.B. Hakkillelr.D.K. Gr-1 Toxi£o1ogy173 (2tNJ2) 3-11 natjve tesring methods aimed at replacing, reduc- vance,and many other relatedlinks. Infonnation ing or refining the use of laboratory animals and on FRAME's publicationscan also be found on to be applied in different fields in the biomedical this site. sciences'.The Scientific Information Service (SIS) is a database of the European Commission Joint 3.3. The (US) Interagency Coordinating ResearchCentre. SIS provides factual and evalu- Committee on the Validation of Alternative ated information on advanced non-animal test Method, (ICCV AM) and National Toxicology development and validation for toxjcology assess- Program (NTP) 'Interagency Cenler for the ments coming from a wide range of international Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods informatjon sources. (NICEATM) http://iccvam.niehs.nih.gov/ The SIS Web site is desjgned to contain the following information: method descriptions in- The mission of ICCV AM and NICEA TM is to cluding protocols for thcir performance; test com- coordinate issuesthroughout the Federal govern- pounds and test results; intra- and interlaboratory ment that relate to the development, validation, assessments,including formal validatjon studjes; acceptance, and harmonization of toxicological test systems;and bjbliographic references,includ- test methods. ICCV AM is responsible for the ing the ECV AM workshop and task force reports. coordination of the development and review of Note: At the time of the writing of this publication, various alternative toxicological methods, and the available version of 'SIS Online' was a first must also facilitate communication among all Internet test ver.vionproviding access to selected stakeholders in the development and review pro- data .vectors. cess of alternative methods. ICCV AM's commit- tees provide guidance to agencies and other 3.2. Fund for the Replacementof Animals in stakeholders on criteria and processes for the Medical Experiments (FRAME) development, validation and acceptanceof tests; wwwframe.org.uk promote awarenessof accepted US test methods; and advocate harmonization of test methods 'FRAME is working towards a future in which internationally. the integrated use of computers to model struc- NICEATM, created in 1998 by the NTP at the ture-aL-tivity relationships and biochemical, phys- National Institute of Environmental Health Sci- iological and toxicological processes,and in vitro ences (NIEHS), provides support for ICCV AM tests using human cells, will be used to assess and organizes meetings on the development, re- human risk directly, without recourse to any ani- view, and validation of alternative toxicological mal testing of chemicals' (Fentem and Balls, testing methods. NICEA TM facilitates informa- 1992). FRAME's activities include support of re- tion sharing among stakeholders, and also pro- search, cooperation with other organizations, vides an opportunity for public~private publications, and the publication of .A TLA, Al- partnerships to enhance the level and scope of its ternatives to Laboratory Animals' journal and activities. ICCV AM and NICEA TM initiatives FRAME NEWS (newsletter). implement Public Law 103-43 that directed FRAME's Web site provides an extensive sec- NIEHS to develop a processto achieve regulatory tion on how to search for information on alterna- acceptanceof alternative test methods. tives, numerous links to information services on NICEA TM and ICCV AM have an 'ICCV AM- alternatives, other alternatives-related sites, orga- all' Internet mailing ftst (seeWeb site for subscrip- nizations concerned with the use of laboratory tion details). The Web site also provides numerous animals, educational sites, pro/contra sites, sites links to ICCV AM's Federal Agency members, concernedwith legislation on animal use in differ- news releases and journal articles, alternative ent countries, journals on laboratory animal wel- methods sites, US and international regulations fare and alternatives, databasesfreely available on and guidelines, meetingsand conventions, funding the Internet, list/newsgroups of potential rele- sites, Good Laboratory Practices (GLPs), etc. P.J.B. Hakkinen,D.K. Green / ToxicologyI73 (2002)3-

3.4. INVITTOX tives to the Use of Live Vertebrates in Biomedi- http://emhryo.ib.amwaw.edu.p//invittox cal Research and Testing' published quarterly by the staff of the Toxicology and Environmental The INVITTOX site provides an on-line ver- Health Information Program (TEHIP) of the sion of the European Research Group for Alter- Specialized Information Services Division (SIS) natives in Toxicity Testing {ERGATT)/FRAME/ of the (US) National Library of Medicine. The ECV AM Data Bank of in vitro techniques in focus of the bibliography is to assist in identify- toxicology. ing methods and procedures helpful in support- ing the development, testing, application, and 3.5. (The) Johns Hopkins CenterfiJr Alternatives validation of alternatives to the use of vertebrates to Animal Testing (CAAT) http://caatjhsph.edu/ in biomedical research and toxicology testing. Relevant citations in the bibliography are orga- CAA T's mission is to promote the use of alter- nized by subject and include abstracts if avail- natives to animals in biomedical research, able. product safety testing, and education. CAA T is an academic center affiliated with the Division of 3.7. The Netherlands Centre Alternatives to Toxicological Sciencesin the Department of En- Animal U.se(NCA) http:ffprex.las.vet.uu.nlfnca, vironmental Health Sciencesof the Johns Hop- kins Bloomberg School of Public Health. CAA T The Netherlands Centre Alternatives to Ani- disseminates scientifically correct information mal Use (NCA) is the central point in the about alternatives, their uses, advantages and Netherlands for coordinating research and dis- limitations and also conducts education and re- seminating information on alternatives to animal search programs, workshops, and provides grants experiments. One of its important tasks is to for scientists developing non-animal methods. support the Alternatives to Animal Experiments CAA T's Web site contains information on key Platform in which the Dutch government, indus- CAAT programs such as Vision 20/20, a pro- try and animal protection organizations collabo- gram to drive progress in alternatives develop- rate. ment, and TestSmart, a new approach to risk The NCA site contains key information on assessmentintended to provide a new model for regional legislation, meeting proceedings, elec- toxicology that is more humane and more predic- tronic versions of NCA Newsletters, listings of tive (Green et al., 200la,b). All TestSmart work- upcoming meetings and events, as well as other shop proceedings (i.e. TestSmart-High alternatives-related information. Production Volume Chemicals, TestSmart-Phar- maceuticals and TestSmart-Endocrine Disrup- 3.8. The Norwegian ReferenceCentre for tors) are available on the CAAT Web site, as Laboratory Animal Scienceand Alternatives (The well as other CAA T documents which include NORINA database)http:ffoslovet.veth.v.nof but are not limited to the CAA T Technical Re- ports and a printed and online version of CAA T - The Laboratory Animal Unit of the Norwe- alyst, a newsletter with information for gian School of Veterinary Science (Norges vet- middle-school students. erinrerh0gskole)is dedicated to the collection and spread of information on alternatives to the use 3.6. (US) National Library of Medicines of lab animals in research, education and teach- Alternatives to the USIrof Live Vertebrate~.in ing. Biomedical Researchand Testing (formerly The Norwegian Reference Centre for Labora- Alternatives to Animal Testing) tory Animal Science& Alternatives site includes http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/Tox/ToxAnimal.htm/ a link to the NORINA Database which contains information on several thousand audiovisual This site contains the 'Bibliography: Altema- aids (software, CD-ROMs, films, etc.) that may 8 P.J.B. HakkiMn, D.K. Grren /Toxicology 173 (1tNJ2)3-11 be used as alternatives or supplements to the alternatives(including an alternativessearch ser- use of animals in teaching. The site also pro- vice) as well as search templates;information vides an 'Information on Alternatives Databases resourceguides; a readings and resourcessec- in the Spirit of the Three Rs' area (http: tion; electronicversions of their newsletter,UC j joslovet.veths.nojdatabasesintro.html # ZEBET), Alert; and links to other sitesof interest. which is updated periodically. Listings of meetings of possible interest and numerous links to 3.11. ZEBET [The Centerfor the Documentation other Web sites can also be accessedfrom this and Evaluation of Alternative Methods to Animal site. Experiments {ZentralJ.tellezur Erfassung und Bewertung von Ersatz- und Ergdnzungsmethoden 3.9. Society for in vitro Biology (SIVB) zum TierversuchJ] (formerly the Tissue Culture Association) http: f fwww.dimdi.defsearchffr-sucheng.htm (then www.sivb.org do a searchfor 'Zebet')

SIVB members are interested in the collection The above Web site is not the official home and dissemination of infonnation about the page for ZEBET; the official home page was maintenance and experimental use of tissue cells not yet available at the time of this writing. in vitro, and in the development and evaluation The German Centre for the Documentation of procedures using tissue cells. and Validation of Alternative Methods (ZEBET) The SIVB Web site contains infonnation on at the Federal Institute for Consumer Health upcoming meetings of interest and their key Protection and Veterinary Medicine (BgVV) de- publications, which include two journals, In veloped the ZEBET -database on alternative Vitro Cellular and Developmental Biology (sepa- methods to animal experiments (Grone et al., rate Animal and Plant editions; summaries of 2000). Access to the database is free and the articles in the Animal edition are available via informatjon available in English. The ZEBET the Altweb site) and Methods in Cell Science database contains alternatives to anjmal testing (formerly Journal of Tissue (.'ulture Methods). methods that have been carefully evaluated by SIVB also publishes the In Vitro Report (for- ZEBETs staff to meet at least one of the '3Rs' merly TCA Report) newsletter. concept criteria (i.e. replacement of an animal method by a non-animal method, reduction in 3.10. University of California, Center for Animal the number of animals used, and/or refinement Alternatives of a method by minimizing pain and suffering www.vetmed.ucdavis.edufAnimal_Altern-atives, of animals). The information provided includes main.hlm the current stage of development and validation of a method, and on any acceptance of the The University of California Center for Ani- method for either scientific or regulatory pur- mal Alternatives site is intended to provide a poses. Over 125 alternative methods are avail- 'Gatewayto AlternativesInformation'. The Cen- able via the ZEBET Web site. ter placesspecial emphasis on disseminatingin- formation concerning models, computer 3.12. Society of Toxicology (SOT) programs,and other animal alternativesin edu- W»'W.toxicology .org cation through every level of public and private education.It also seeksto provide investigators SOT members include toxicologists and who use animals with information on the most others in industry, academia, government, and current methodsfor improving all aspectsof an- elsewhere interested in toxicology and risk imal care during their work assessment.The SO£jety publishes a newsletter The UC Center for Animal Alternatives site ('Communique'), two journals (Toxicology and provides an extensivesection on searchingfor Applied Pharmacology, and Toxicological Sci- P.J.B. Hakkinen, D.K. Green/Toxicology 173 (2002) 3-11 9

ences), and other documents (e.g., public 4.2. The Animal Welfare Institute policy statements, position statements, and www.awionline.org guiding principles). Workshops at annual meetings have included alternatives to animal The Animal Welfare Institute's site includesa testing topics, e.g. one on 'Scientific and laboratory animalssection which containsa pri- Regulatory Challenges for the Reduction, mate enrichmentdatabase as well as a lab ani- Refinement, and Replacement of Animals in mal refinementdatabase. Toxicity Testing'. 4.3. The Humane Society of the United States 3.13. Tufts Centerfor Animals and Public Policy (HSUS) www.hsus.orgj (Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine) www.tufts.edujvetjcfajaboutcja.html The mission of the Animal Research Issues section of HSUS is to reduce and eventually Activities include interest in animal research eliminate harm to animals used in research, test- ethics, and publicationsinclude an 'Alternatives ing, and education, through the promotion of Report' newsletter. alternative methods and other means. It seeksto foster an awarenessof, and respect for, the indi- vidual interests of these animals within the sci- 4. Other web sites: sponsorl-dby animal entific community and the general public. HSUS operates a Humane Education Loan Program welfare/rights organizations (HELP) to provide students (middle school-, These sites contain alternatives-relatedinfor- high school-, and college-level) and educators mation and materials. with a large number of up-to-date alternatives to classroom animal dissection and live animal experimentation as a way to help those who ob- 4.1. Alternatives Research& Development ject to dissection and to encourage the adoption Foundation (ARDF) (formerly known as The of humane alternatives in the classroom. All of Demeter Fund, and affiliated with American the materials (CD-ROMS, slides, videotapes, Anti- Vivisection Society) etc.) are available for loan, with the only cost to http:ffwww.aavs.orgfDocsfardfhtm (also see borrowers being return postage. alternatives to animal testing on the web listing) 4.4. National Anti- Vivisection Society ARDF supports the development of alternatives to the use of animals in biomedical re- www.navs.org/ search, testing, and education. It is dedicated to The activities of this organization include un- providing: (1) the motivation, funding, re- derwriting alternatives to animals research. It sources, and scientific expertise needed to re- publishes a newsletter, National Anti-Vivisection place animal use in laboratories; (2) specific Society Bulletin, and other documents. grants to develop alternatives; (3) information on alternatives, and (4) the promotion of alternatives through publications, lectures, seminars, and workshops. Examples of ARDF efforts in- 5. Other web sites: key journals clude development of interactive, videodisc simu- lations and programs, three-dimensional, 5.1. ATLA, Alternatives to Laboratory Animals computer-assistedprograms to teach basic surgi- cal techniques, and a plastination laboratory to See above for Fund for the Replacement of produce permanent anatomical specimens as al. Animals in Medical Experiments (FRAME). ternatives to dissection. www.frame-uk.demon.co.uk/ to P.J.B. Hakkinen.D.K. Green/Toxicology173 (2002) 3-11

A TLA 'is intended to cover all aspects of the 5.5. AATEX (Alternatives to Animal Testing and development, validation and use of alternatives Experimentation) to laboratory animals in biomedical research and toxicity testing'. This is the official journal of the JapaneseSo- ciety of Alternativesto Animal Experimentation (JSAAE), covering new and novel international 5.2. In Vitro & Molecular Toxicology. A Journal developments,methods, techniques,validations, of Basic and Applied Research.Formerly Tn Vitro and the use of alternativesto animal experi- Toxicology. A Journal of Molecular and Cellular ments and testing. The contents of all issues Toxicology. www.liebertpub.com back to Volume I (1990+) are accessiblevia the Altweb site. This journal 'reports on investigative work about the molecular and cellular basis and ex- 5.6. ALTEX (Alternativen zu TierExperimenten pression of diverse toxic phenomena'. Includes a or Alternatives to Animal Experiments) 'CAA TSCAN' section, reviewing animal alternatives news and information (publications, meet- This is the official journal of the Middle Eu- ings, Web sites, etc.). ropean Society for Alternatives to Testing in Animals (MEGAT, Mitteleuropaische Gesellschaft fur Alternativen zu Tierversuchen), 5.3. Toxicology In Vitro. 'devoted to the publication of research on the www.elsevier.nlj locate jtoxinvit development and promotion of alternatives to animal experiments according to the 3R con- This journal 'will publish original research cept...'. Also included are articles, short commu- papers and occasional reviews on the use of nications, reviews, news and comments, meeting in vitro techniques for detennining the toxic reports, and book reviews in Gennan (abstracts effects of chemicals and elucidating their mecha- of articles and short communications are also nisms of action, reports on investigative provided in English). English summaries of all work about the molecular and cellular basis articles are accessible via the Altweb site, and and expression of diverse toxic phenomena'. are published in A TLA. It is the official Journal of the European Soci- ety of Toxicology in Vitro, and is published in association with TNO-BIBRA International. 6. Key internet mailing lists, bulletin boards and Tables of contents are available via a free e-mail discussionareas alerting service from the publisher, Elsevier Science. 6.1. UC-ANIMALT As noted above, the University of California's 5.4. Tox;cology Methods. Center for Animal Alternatives has Internet www.taylorfranc;s.com/INDEX.htm mailing lists such as UC-ANIMAL T for the discussion of alternatives in research and educa- This journal provides a 'peer-reviewed forum tion. for toxicologists to share and critically evaluate all aspects of the development, validation, and 6.2. Altweb application of new and existing methods, techniques, and equipment'. Includes in vivo and in As noted earlier (Section 2), the Alternatives vitro studies and alternative methodologies, to Animal Testing on the Web (Altweb) site has along with molecular, biochemical, and cellular an 'Altweb News Update' mailing list for key techniques, mathematical modeling, etc. Sub- new information (e.g. upcoming meetings or es- scribers can accessthis journal online. tablishment of new organizations and groups). P.I.B. Hakkinen,D.K. Green/Toxicology173 (2002) 3-11 u

6.3. COMPMED resourceswere noted above (Hakkinen, 2000; Janusch,et al., 1997). Comparative Medicine Discussion List- mailing list for discussing the topics of comparative and laboratory animal medicine. 8. Conclusion This list is restricted. To subscribe, send an e-mail messageto [email protected] in the Keeping current with infonnation associated body of the message, enter: sub COMPMED with alternatives to animal testing is a chal1enge Firstname Lastname. made easier as people throughout the world have increasing accessto the Internet and World Wide 6.4. IACUC (Institutional Animal Care and Use Web. The Internet and World Wide Web re- Committee) Forwn. sources described provide guidance and other in- http://www.ia("Uc.org/IACUC_Forum.asp fonnation on in vitro and other alternatives to animal testing. The IACUC-FORUM is a 'closed listserv where issues relating to laboratory animal research may be discussed privately among mem- References bers of the listserv. The Institutional Contact for the Institutional Member organization will be the Fentem, J., Balls, M, 1992.In vitro alternatives to toxicity testing in animals. Chern. Ind. 6, 207- 211. 'gatekeeper' for the listserv and provide AALAS Green, S.,Goldberg, A.M., Zurlo,J., 200la. The TestSmart-HPV with the names to be added to the listserv and the program-development of an integrated approach for testing names to be deleted from the listserv'. This list- high production volume chemicals.Reg. T oxicol. Pharmacol. serv includes members from research institutions 33,105-109. all over the US and discusses topics such as: Green, S., Goldberg, A., Zurlo, J., 200lb. TestSmart-high Training issues, the role of IACUCs in research production volume chemicals:an approach to implementing alternativesinto regulatory toxicology. Toxicol. Sci.63,6- 14. institutions, the newest regulations regarding the Grone, B., Herrmann, S., OOrendahl, A., Skolik, S., Behnck- use of animals in research and the rationale for Knoblau, S., Box, R.,Spielmann, H., 2000.TheZEBET -data- numbers of animals used in research. base on alternative methods to animal experiments in the Internet-a contribution to the protection of animals. Altex-alternativen zu Tierexperimenten 17, 127-133. Hakkinen, P.J., 2000. Chapter 18, Toxicology testing methods 7. Other publications and laboratories. In: Wexler, P., Hakkinen, P.J., Kennedy, G.L. Jr, Stoss, F.W. (Eds.), Information Resources in Toxicology, third ed. Academic Press, San Diego, pp. 7.1. OECl? (Organisationfor Economic 525-533. Co-operation and Development) Guidance Janusch, A., van der Kamp, M.D.O., Bottrill, K., Grone, B., Document on the Recognition. Assessmentand Anderson, D.C., Ekwall, B., Howald, M., Kolar, R., Kuiper, Use of Clinical Signs as Humane Endpointsfor H.J.D., Larson, J., Loprieno, G., Sauer, V.G., Smith, A.J., van der Valk, J.B.F., 1997. Current status and future Experimental Animals used in Safety Evaluation developments of databases on alternative methods. The report and recommendations of ECV AM workshop 25. This document provides guidance on the inter- A TLA (Alternatives to Laboratory Animals) 25, 411-422. pretation of clinical signs and conditions of ani- Rowan, A.N., 1991.Animal experimentation and society: a case mals that are representative of pain and distress. study of an uneasyinterdCtion. In: Roy, D., Wynne, B., Old, R. (Eds.), Bioscience-Society.John Wiley, New York, pp. A pdf version can be accessedfrom the OECD 261-281. Web site at http://www.oecd.org/ehs/. Silverman, J., 1993.Can there be a common goal? Lab Animal, Two recent publications about internet and web March 22:41.