RE-Place project / New Approach Methodologies

The Re-Place project is part of the Service Risk and Health Impact Assessment – Scientific Directorate Chemical & Physical Health Risks part of the Unit of Experimental Toxicology.

RE-Place is an open access database that centralizes the available expertise on the use of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) in Belgium. These NAMs are innovative methods and technologies that can help to replace and/or reduce animal testing in biomedical research and regulatory testing. They include, amongst others, in vitro, in silico and in chemico methods. Due to their rapid development pace, (young) scientists may face difficulties in finding relevant, reliable, and up-to-date information on NAMs in a fast and efficient way.

RE-Place offers a reliable and up-to-date inventory where each method is associated with the name and affiliation of the scientist who has developed and/or uses the NAM. By providing a direct point of contact, RE-Place encourages networking activities among the Belgian scientific community. The RE-Place team also organizes several initiatives to promote the use and development of NAMs including study days, symposia and webinars.

RE-Place is thus an important tool for scientists, ethical committees, regulators, and the authorities to learn more about what is today scientifically feasible with NAMs. On the other hand, it supports scientists to set-up new collaborations and accelerate networking activities. Both activities will help to build trust in the use of NAMs and support the replacement of animal testing in the long term.

RE-Place is a joint project between Sciensano and VUB. The coordination is shared between both partners.