Dendritic Cells as a Tool for the Predictive Identification of Skin Sensitisation Hazard

Preface This is the report of the fifty-first of a series of workshops organised by the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM). The main objective of ECVAM, as defined in 1993 by its Scientific Advisory Committee, is to promote the scientific and regulatory acceptance of alternative methods which are of importance to the biosciences, and which reduce, refine or replace the use of laboratory animals. One of the first priorities set by ECVAM was the implementation of procedures that would enable it to become well informed about the state of the art of non-animal test development and validation, and of opportunities for the possible incorporation of alternative methods into regulatory procedures. It was decided that this would be best achieved through a programme of ECVAM workshops, each addressing a specific topic, and at which selected groups of independent international experts would review the current status of various types of in vitro tests and their potential uses, and make recommendations about the best ways forward. The workshop on dendritic cells as a tool for the predictive identification of skin sensitisation hazard was held at ECVAM (Ispra, Italy) on 7-8 April 2004, with participants derived from academia, national organisations, and industry. The aim of the workshop was to review the state of the art of the use of cultured dendritic cells for the identification of skin sensitisation hazard, and to develop strategies for the eventual replacement of in vivo testing. At the end of this report are listed the recommendations that should be considered for progressing toward the prevalidation and validation of relevant and reliable procedures, that could in the future replace the use of animals in the skin sensitisation testing of chemicals and cosmetic products.