GAITHERSBURG, MD – August 18, 2016 – The Institute for In Vitro Sciences, Inc. (IIVS) is pleased to be among the projects and scientists that have made the shortlist for the 2016 LUSH Prize. Awarded by LUSH, the maker of fresh handmade cosmetics, the annual £250,000 prize recognizes achievements in the non-animal testing sector in five main categories: Lobbying, Public Awareness, Science, Training, and Young Researcher. IIVS was shortlisted for the Training category while IIVS scientists, Dr. Kim Norman and Megan Lamm, made the Young Researcher (Americas) category.
“Education and training is a key component of the Institute’s mission,” said Erin Hill, IIVS President. “With nearly 20 years of experience in developing and performing alternative test methods, we are uniquely positioned to train others in these techniques.” IIVS training programs include its flagship workshop, Practical Methods for In Vitro Toxicology, as well as customized technical and training workshops to meet the needs of individual companies and/or regulatory groups. The Institute also has numerous training webinars and videos. In the Young Researcher category, IIVS Study Director, Dr. Kim Norman’s project examined the discrimination of respiratory sensitizers from skin sensitizers using the Direct Peptide Assay (DPRA). Currently, there is no validated assay for the identification of respiratory sensitizers.
Meanwhile, IIVS Biologist, Megan Lamm’s work focused on improving the predictability of two sensitization assays, the Direct Peptide Reactivity Assay and the KeratinoSens™ assay, by limiting false negative results for chemicals that require enzymatic oxidation to act as sensitizers. A preliminary step was designed using human liver microsomes as a source of metabolism for both assays and an in silico approach was incorporated to determine which chemicals in the set required the preliminary step.
IIVS was awarded the first LUSH prize for Training in 2012 and has made the shortlist annually since 2013. For 2016, the next round of judging will be in September with winners announced in November.
About IIVS IIVS is a non-profit organization wholly dedicated to the promotion of rapid and innovative non-animal test methods. Founded in 1997, IIVS is recognized as a leading provider of in vitro testing in support of toxicological safety evaluations. Rigorous scientific programs coupled with educational and outreach initiatives have established IIVS as a global leader in the advancement of alternatives to animal testing. For more information, visit www.iivs.org.