Momentum Grows for Modernizing the US EPA “Six-pack” Battery of Acute Toxicity Tests

January 13, 2016
In the current global regulatory climate favorable for further advancement of in vitro test methods, the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) is driving significant efforts in the United States. The latest endeavor targets the modernization of the battery of acute toxicity tests classically known as the “six-pack” (Fig. 1a). Known for many years as an “all in vivo” testing strategy for products registered under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the six-pack has recently been revised to include...

IIVS BCOP Training Video – English

November 1, 2015
This 13- minute video demonstrates how to perform the BCOP assay according to the Test Guidelines set forth for the assay by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD TG 437). The video focuses on steps that are critical to the success of the assay such as handling of the isolated cornea and removal of the test material from the cornea at the conclusion of the exposure time....

IIVS BCOP Training Video – Chinese

November 1, 2015
This 13- minute video demonstrates how to perform the BCOP assay according to the Test Guidelines set forth for the assay by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD TG 437). The video focuses on steps that are critical to the success of the assay such as handling of the isolated cornea and removal of the test material from the cornea at the conclusion of the exposure time....

IIVS BCOP Training Video – Portuguese

November 1, 2015
This 13- minute video demonstrates how to perform the BCOP assay according to the Test Guidelines set forth for the assay by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD TG 437). The video focuses on steps that are critical to the success of the assay such as handling of the isolated cornea and removal of the test material from the cornea at the conclusion of the exposure time....

Protocol Considerations for Testing Surfactants and Surfactant-based Formulations in the Bovine Corneal Opacity and Permeability Assay

March 23, 2015
The Bovine Corneal Opacity and Permeability (BCOP) assay is an ex vivo test for predicting ocular irritation. For regulatory classification, OECD Test Guideline (TG) 437 specifies that liquid and solid surfactants may be tested as 10% aqueous dilutions for 10 minutes, although alternate dilutions and exposure times may be conducted with scientific rationale. Without question, surfactant solids should not be tested using the solid chemical protocol, since overexposure conditions are likely. In the absence of clear guidance from these regulatory...