Chris Longmore- XCellR8

Title: - Better Science, Better Ethics: 100% animal-free cosmetic safety testing approaches.

Abstracts

Many in vitro tests still use animal derived components such as serum, tissue extracts and antibodies. There is an increasing body of evidence that demonstrates the importance of having a system which models human physiology as closely as possible, rather than relying on the use of animal-based culture systems. The significant ethical issues surrounding the use of animal-derived components, especially FBS, have also been well documented. XCellR8 have always taken the view that the use of any animal components undermines the validity of ‘not tested on animals’ and vegan claims and we eliminated the use of animal products in our laboratory from the very beginning.

Understanding the animal-free status of in vitro tests is important for cosmetic products formulators and ingredients manufacturers. We will discuss our 7-point scale for animal-product-free (APF) testing and how it can be used as a tool to aid decision making about which tests are acceptable. The scale clearly shows a progression from the use of animals or components that cause animal sacrifice or suffering, through to waste products (eg from the meat industry) and human-based alternatives, finally progressing to fully APF, defined in vitro systems

We will also present our research and developments to adapt existing safety tests, where all animal components have been eliminated, to use human-derived serum and antibodies from approved sources as well as completely chemically defined products. This approach maximises both the human relevance and reproducibility of the test results.

Biography

Chris Longmore is an account manager & scientist at XCellR8, a contract lab with the mission to replace animal testing with scientifically advanced and ethically sound alternatives. Having graduated from the University of Liverpool with a Master’s degree in Biochemistry, Chris began his journey with XCellR8 in the lab, gaining a wide range of practical experience with non-animal in vitro technologies. He now works with businesses in the chemical & cosmetic industries as an account manager, and supports them in designing strategies to utilise non-animal tests for both product safety & efficacy.