Technology Aims to Replace Animal Testing

Animal testing can be slow, and many researchers question how well an
animal's response to a chemical predicts human reactions.

Technology allowing cosmetic makers to test for allergic reactions to their
products without controversial animal trials is in the works and could be in
use by next year.

The technology developed by Hurel Corp., with funding from cosmetics maker
L'Oreal, is designed to replace tests on mice and guinea pigs used to predict
skin reactions from drugs and cosmetics. The device uses laboratory-grown human
skin cells to simulate the body's allergic response to foreign chemicals.
Preliminary experiments show promise, but rigorous tests are still needed to
determine the technology's accuracy.

The standard method for testing allergic reactions involves applying
chemicals to the ears of mice, which are later killed and dissected for study.

North Brunswick, N.J.-based Hurel said Thursday it hopes to eliminate the
need for such tests, in an announcement with cosmetics giant L'Oreal, which
provided funding for the test.

The product from Hurel consists of a glass chip with human skin cells and
chemicals that simulate the body's immune system. When a foreign substance is
dropped onto the chip, the cells and chemicals interact to mimic the human
body's natural allergic response.

While the product is still in development, Hurel officials say a working
prototype should be available by the second half of next year. In addition to
cosmetics, the technology could be used to test household cleaners and
pesticides.

Hurel Chief Executive Robert Freedman said it is too early to estimate the
price or sales figures for the chip, but he pegs the market for a non-animal
allergy test at $2 billion a year.

Like other companies in the cosmetics industry, L'Oreal is racing to develop
alternatives for testing wrinkle creams and lipstick to comply with European
Union laws. Regulators there have ordered companies to phase out animal skin
testing by 2013.

L'Oreal has decreased its use of animal testing over the years, but still
relies on the technique to test certain new chemicals.

"I give L'Oreal credit for being willing to explore these types of
opportunities," said Dr. Charles Sandusky, of the Physicians Committee for
Responsible Medicine. "This is the first thing I've ever seen where the immune
system is being mimicked without using an animal component."

A spokeswoman for L'Oreal said the company has invested heavily in non-animal
testing over 25 years, but declined to specify how much went into developing the
Hurel chip.

Hurel will be free to license the technology to other companies once it has
been proven effective, she said.

Sandusky, a former toxicologist at the Environmental Protection Agency,
estimates Hurel's technology, if successfully applied, could eliminate the need
for tens of thousands of test animals each year.

For that reason, the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals plans to grant the company an innovation award Thursday for
"animal-friendly achievement in commerce." PETA's science policy adviser Dr.
Kate Willett said the group has been following Hurel's research efforts.

Hurel was founded in 2005 and has one other product under development: a
liver toxicity test. Given that regulators generally won't approve an
experimental drug if there are signs it harms the liver, a liver toxicity test
could be a boon to drugmakers who test their medicines in animals before
submitting them to regulators.

Animal testing can be slow, and many researchers question how well an
animal's response to a chemical predicts human reactions.

By eliminating the time, money and potential inaccuracies associated with
animal testing, Chief Executive Robert Freedman estimates Hurel's test could
shave $100 million off the roughly $1 billion cost of developing a new drug.

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