The RE-Place database aims to capture methods in basic and applied research that avoid the direct use of animals, used as stand-alone or combined with animal experimentation to collect the information of interest. NAMs are thus not necessarily one-on-one replacement methods, but can contribute to the overall replacement or reduction of animal testing. They can thus also be a single step within a broader research strategy and include different types of:

  • In vitro and ex vivo methods (e.g. experiments with the use of 2D - 3D cell lines and tissue cultures, NRU Phototoxicity Test, AMES, BCOP, …);
  • In silico modeling (e.g. molecular modeling and mathematical approaches, PBPK models, QSAR, read across, …);
  • In chemico techniques (e.g. assays evaluating the reactivity and properties of substances or components);
  • Alternative in vivo models (e.g. fruit flies, flatworms, early stages of zebrafish, …);
  • Imaging techniques (e.g. cellular imaging techniques, or imaging with a clear application to the replacement of laboratory animals);
  • High-throughput testing strategies and omics techniques (e.g. genomics, metabolomics, proteomics and transcriptomics);
  • Other innovative techniques (e.g. organ-on-a-chip);
  • …