Glossary

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3R principle

3R stands for reduction, refinement and replacement of animal experiments

Alternative testing

Toxicological testing that replaces animal tests by e.g. cell culture tests

Embryonic stem cells

Cells that are derived from the inner cell mass of blastocyst-stage embryos and that can differentiate into all cell types of the body

In vitro-toxicology

Toxicological studies using e.g. cell culture or organ cultures rather than living organisms for studying toxicity of test substances

Metabolic systems

Cells or cell fractions capable of metabolising test substances

Neurotoxicity

Toxicity affecting the cells of the nervous system

REACH

European Community regulation regarding the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of CHemical substances.

Reproductive toxicity

Toxicity affecting the reproductive system of an organism

Toxicogenomics

Application of genomics tools (e.g. gene expression profiling) to toxicological studies. Together with classiscal toxicological tests and toxicoproteomics, toxicogenomics can offer mechanistic insights or help predict a novel substance’s toxicological properties

Toxicology

The study of toxic effects of substances on living organism

Toxicoproteomics

Application of proteomics tools (e.g. phosphoproteomics) to toxicological studies. Together with classiscal toxicological tests and toxicogenomics, toxicoproteomics can offer mechanistic insights or help predict a novel substance’s toxicological properties