Stakeholder survey

News, UncategorisedSophie Jensen

We would like to invite you to conduct an online questionnaire as part of the stakeholder survey of the European project EuroMix.

Within the project EuroMix, short for ‘European testing and risk assessment strategies for Mixtures’,  a new proposed methodology is tested on its appropriateness to test mixtures of contaminants to which European citizens are exposed daily through their diet or other channels. The project can also be seen as the extension of the ACROPOLIS project of several years ago that focused on pesticide mixtures. Besides the risk evaluation of said mixtures, also   legislation, implementation strategies and the reformation of routine toxicological testing (according to the 3Rs principle) will be investigated by various partners. To make the project substantiated, a section in the project is prevised to gauge the opinions of all potential stakeholder groups to this new test strategy and its consequences. This goes from the farmer to the NGO, chemical manufacturers to animal welfare organisations and researchers to consumers.

The survey would be conducted in three phases. The first wave is an interview with some key people within each stakeholder group, to obtain a first scan of the field. A second phase involves an online survey, which a very large number of stakeholders will be invited. A third phase will work with focus groups by stakeholder group, and focuses on discussing the results of previous waves.

We would like to ask you if you would like to complete the questionnaire from your background. We are directly interested in your opinion and vision on the concepts within the project and their feasibility. As this survey is also seen as SWOT analysis, you can steer the project along the lines. If you want to invite colleagues, partners, or even competitors, we encourage this strongly. The more participants are reached with this survey, the better the representation from the field.

The questionnaire will take about 30 min. If you wish to participate, the survey will be open in the period of June 6th to July 31st, but take it before your summer holidays. I am aware that the questions could be somewhat technical, but try to answer as much as you can to your ability.

To go to the survey, click on the link:

https://ghentagriecon.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_2rb3ZSQvWUtlxA1

If it doesn’t open, copy and paste the URL into your internet browser.

Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

EFSA-RIVM Symposium

UncategorisedSophie Jensen

EFSA-RIVM symposium

EFSA and RIVM organised an international symposium to reflect on the state of play in research with regard to the risk assessment and toxicity testing of chemical mixtures in Europe. On 18 and 19 May 2016, Dutch researchers, scientists, stakeholders and policy-makers were joined by their European and international peers to discuss scientific progress in this field.

Here is a news item (Chemical mixtures: debating the issues) from the EFSA webpage and a recap of the symposium as well as all given presentations.

Third consortium meeting EuroMix

UncategorisedSophie Jensen

Date:     13-15 April 2016             Venue:  Zurich, Switzerland

Aim of the meeting:

  1. Overview of results and try-outs.
    • Presenting the outcome of the discussion and efforts regarding exposure-driven testing, AOPs (all three endpoints, measurements instruments), results training compounds, biomarker of effect).
  2. To discuss the aim of validation and how to set-up the in vivo testing for validating the in vitro testing
  3. To work towards decisions on the testing
  4. To discuss integration into model platforms
  5. To prepare the Scientific Advisory Board

EuroMix – EDCMixRisk – meeting to encourage synergistic collaboration

NewsSophie Jensen

EDC-MixRisk
On the 17 February 2016, a meeting was held at RIVM in Bilthoven, the Netherlands, to discuss the synergy between EuroMix and EDCMixRisk. The WP leaders of EDCMixRisk and the experts involved in endocrine testing within EuroMix met to exchange project details and opportunities for cooperation or fine-tuning of research activities.
The aim of the meeting was to inform each other about the ongoing activities, and to define potential synergy in the planned experimental work, the Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOP) developments and the scientific policy for future mixtures risk assessment and management.
EDCMixRisk is an EU funded project, coordinated by Ake Bergman, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. The project is also about chemical mixtures but their focus is on endocrine disruption, including experimental research and epidemiology finding. Link to project website EDCMixRisk
The meeting was very fruitful and a number of good ideas for closer cooperation were discussed and some of the issues suggested for future exchange of information and synergistic collaboration were:
1. Work on a joint AOP for some of the endpoints that are tested within both projects
2. Exchange the chemicals that are in the mixtures, and if feasible to test each other’s mixtures in some of the tests or on some key-events
3. Liaise about training events, web seminars, stakeholder workshops and other relevant actions

Second Consortium Meeting EuroMix

UncategorisedSophie Jensen

Date:     23 and 24 November 2015

Venue:                Larnaca Cyprus

The aim of the meeting is among other things to present and elaborate on the four relevant pathways and to discuss the integration of the relevant elements.

Pathway 1: Adverse Outcome Pathway, how to come from a qualitative description to a quantifiable AOP for mixtures

Pathway 2: Testing strategy, what are the possibilities and how are the experiments linked to key-events, overseeing the instruments available

Pathway 3: Exposure driven test approaches, what can be expected from exposure assessment and how can the first results drive the test strategy

Pathway 4: from external dose to biomarkers of effect useful for epidemiology (to set a proof of principle only)

Euromix project kick-off

News, Press releasesJohannes Kruisselbrink

EU project EuroMix (European Test and Risk Assessment Strategies for Mixtures) kick-off was held on 20-21 May at RIVM premises in Bilthoven. EuroMix will provide a test strategy for mixture testing based on new and already existing toxicological tests. The project has high societal relevance, because to date mixtures cannot be adequately addressed and European regulation has indicated the need for mixture risk assessment in the future.

Kick-off

At the kick-off speakers from international organisations as World Health Organization, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the European Commission Joint Research Centre and experts involved in international discussion as RISK 21, presented an overview of the current European and world-wide initiatives. The overview covered the fields of toxicology, new and advanced test strategies and risk assessment of combined exposure to mixtures of chemicals. Tasks and actions in line with the contract and in perspective of international developments were discussed during the kick off meeting. Agenda can be accessed here.

Goals and steps

EuroMix aims to develop an experimentally verified, tiered test strategy of mixtures of multiple chemicals derived from multiple sources across different life stages. Experiments will be performed and results and experience will be described in practical guidance for future implementation of the test strategy. Since the number of mixtures to which we are exposed during everyday life is infinite, key mixtures will have to be identified.

These key mixtures will be tested and the outcome of the test results will be used in future aggregate and cumulative exposure assessments. A platform of suitable bioassays for mixture testing will be explored and the most suitable tests will be validated against animal experiments. New models for the calculation of the risk of mixtures will be developed and exposure assessments will be conducted. This EuroMix model toolbox will be made available for stakeholders through an openly accessible web based platform. EuroMix will provide guidance to the international organisations on how to use the bioassays and the model toolbox in future mixture testing and mixture risk assessment.

Outcomes

It is expected that the project will boost innovation in the public and private sector. It will provide a sound scientific basis for measuring the effect of mixtures and reduce the use of laboratory animals in the future. Ultimately it will support discussion for harmonised risk assessment policies for mixtures in the EU, Codex Alimentarius and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the Unites States of America.

International cooperation

EuroMix has a total of 22 partners and 4 affiliated partners. The project is included in the EU Research and Innovation Programme Horizon 2020, which builds on previous European research programs. The EuroMix partners and the European Commission have agreed on co-funding for 8 million Euro.

The Dutch National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, RIVM is leading the EuroMix project. Other institutes are listed in Annex 1.

Relevant links

Link to EU site

http://horizon2020projects.com/