SensiDerm Animal Replacement Assays Selected By Cosmetics Europe

In response to the full EU ban on animal testing of ingredients for cosmetics launched in March, Cosmetics Europe (formerly COLIPA), the European trade association for the cosmetic, toiletry and perfumery industry, is looking to introduce in-vitro assays for testing key sensitizers/allergens as a replacement for animal testing in cosmetics. 

This will also apply to other products including chemicals, pharmaceuticals and household products. It means that any product within these categories will have to be tested for the presence of sensitizers.

COLIPA was a partner with Proteome Sciences in a major research initiative, Sens-it-iv, a large EU-funded research project dedicated to develop and optimize in-vitro test strategies that could reduce or replace animal testing for sensitization studies. COLIPA subsequently provided a set of blinded samples exposed to 10 different sensitizers to a broad group of applicants in 2012 for evaluation through a range of different in-vitro methodologies. Proteome Sciences used its proteomic biomarker platform for this analysis.

COLIPA has just notified Proteome Sciences that its SensiDerm multiplex assays have been selected in the first priority set of tests. Funding is available from Cosmetics Europe and the EU for further development, optimization and standardization of the priority tests. Details have yet to be agreed, but in principle this means that funding for the SensiDerm assay development costs should be provided to expedite this process. With an in-vitro TMT-SRM testing method and with patents filed over 100 skin and 100 respiratory markers each, Proteome Sciences now has the prospect of substantial additional revenue streams from SensiDerm for in-vitro applications in industrial testing across the various categories described above with contributions beginning in 2013.

Christopher Pearce, CEO of Proteome Sciences PLC, said: “We are delighted with this important development that extends the utility of our proprietary proteomic biomarker technology into the cosmetics and household products industries. We look forward to working with Cosmetics Europe to develop our SensiDerm multiplex tests commercially that are rapid, easy to use and highly sensitive that will provide the means for companies to meet the EU requirement for non-animal testing for sensitizers in their products and in particular dermatological and respiratory allergens.”

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