NAMs should be considered for use in such toxicity studies where control groups are routinely required. Using “virtual animals” here instead would have a significant impact on reducing the total number of animals used, the authors write.

The EU project VICT3R (Developing and implementing VIrtual Control groups To reducE animal use in toxicology Research) is currently underway to investigate the feasibility of virtual control groups and will run until the end of February 2028. It is a public-private partnership funded with a total of 28 million euros from the Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking (IHI JU) as well as contributions from industry partners. Data on control animals collected over decades from the pharmaceutical, industrial, and academic sectors is being used to develop virtual control animals.

The project involves 33 partner organizations, including 20 leading industrial companies, seven small and medium-sized enterprises, and six academic institutions. The partnership is led by Pompeu Fabra University (Barcelona, Spain) in collaboration with Bayer AG (Berlin, Germany).

Project progress was presented at a consortium meeting early last month. This included the development of a software tool to support the creation of virtual control groups, a VICT3R database, as well as progress in data standardization and quality assessment.

Further information and draft statement:
https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/ema-consults-virtual-control-groups-help-reduce-animal-use-medicines-development
https://www.invitrojobs.com/index.php/en/news/news-archive/item/6570-vict3r-reduces-animal-use-through-virtual-control-groups
https://www.vict3r.eu/
https://www.vict3r.eu/collaboration-at-the-heart-of-vict3r-highlights-from-the-4th-consortium-meeting/