根據一份於2月14日由美國國家健康局(NIH)以及美國環境保護局(EPA)的聯合公告表示，未來將逐日減少動物實驗，來進行化學物質例如農藥及家庭用清潔劑的安全性測試。
多年來，決定化學物毒性的資料收集多倚賴活體動物實驗，研究者讓動物，例如老鼠暴露在化學物質之下，然後觀察這種化合物對動物的作用，例如造成體重減輕或是縮短壽命，再從檢驗動物的組織來找尋造成損害的證據。
但是在上述兩個政府機關的專家表示，因為有越來越多需要測試的新化學物，高額的實驗成本以及大眾對於動物實驗的負面觀感，讓他們已經開始著手找尋毒物測試的替代性方案。
長達五年的同意書備忘錄記載了NIH和EPA的合作細節，兩方將會使用NIH化學基因中心裡高速自動掃瞄的機器人來檢測有毒的化合物。
不同於動物實驗，這套系統以細胞和個別分子為檢測的目標，專家表示這套超高速自動化技術一天可以掃瞄超過一百萬個化學合成物的生物活動，以供檢測可能的毒物反應。
「這次的合作研究計畫，有機會針對鑑定及瞭解大眾所接觸的化學毒物做出重要的貢獻。」NIH處長醫學博士若浩妮（Elias Zerhouni）表示。
根據兩個部門的官員表示，這個新的跨部門合作機構將會發表對於人體最相關的數據，增加測試的化學物數量，減少時間、成本以及實驗用動物的數量。
此外，這個計畫希望促進毒物研究單位能通力合作以減少活體動物實驗，而轉向以人類細胞和細胞組織試管實驗來鑑別有毒性的化學物質。這個策略鼓勵了劑量反應研究的進步，以幫助預測人類暴露在毒物之下的毒性反應。
「隨著我們詳盡的研究策略持續發展，我們也會歡迎其他部門的加入，也包含有興趣的公私部門一起加入我們，讓21世紀毒物學的遠景實現，」EPA研究發展辦公室國家計算機毒物學研究中心副主任葛瑞（George Gray）博士表示。
這份同意書是上星期14個政府部門宣示停止動物實驗的一部份計畫，但是部門表示全面停止動物實驗需要核准可行的替代方案，可能需要許多年的時間與努力才能完成。
Fewer laboratory animals will be used to test the safety of chemicals such as pesticides and household cleaners under a new agreement announced jointly today by the National Institutes of Health, NIH, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA.
Currently, data collection to determine chemical toxicity currently relies on live animal tests. Researchers expose an animal, such as a mouse, to a chemical. They observe the general effects of the compound on the animal, such as causing weight loss or shortening life, and then examine the animal's tissues for evidence of damage.
But experts at the two government agencies say the growing number of new chemicals, high testing costs and public unease with animal testing has led to the search for alternate toxicology testing methods.
The five year memo of agreement announced today details a collaboration between two NIH institutes and the EPA to use the NIH Chemical Genomics Center's high-speed, automated screening robots to test suspected toxic compounds.
This system uses cells and isolated molecular targets instead of laboratory animals. Experts say the suite of ultra-high throughput robotic technologies can screen the biological activity of more than one million chemical compounds per day to determine their possible toxic effect.
This research collaboration has the potential to make crucial discoveries that will protect the public health by identifying and understanding chemical toxicants to which people are exposed," NIH Director Elias Zerhouni, MD said.
This new, trans-agency collaboration is expected to generate data more relevant to humans; expand the number of chemicals that are tested; and reduce the time, money and number of animals involved in testing, officials of both agencies said.
The idea is to jumpstart a collaborative effort across the toxicology community to rely less on animal studies and more on in vitro tests using human cells and cellular components to identify chemicals with toxic effects. The strategy calls for improvements in dose-response research, which will help predict toxicity at exposures that humans may encounter.
"As our detailed research strategy continues to develop, we will welcome the participation of other federal partners, as well as interested public and private sector organizations, to make this vision of 21st century toxicology a reality," said EPA's George Gray, PhD, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Research and Development, which includes the National Center for Computational Toxicology.
The new agreement is part of a 14 agency federal effort announced last week to move the government away from animal testing, but the agencies say that full implementation of the shift will require validation of the new approaches, a substantial effort that could consume many years.
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