This page helps to highlight the expertise of the EU-NETVAL laboratories acknowledged by ECVAM.

EU-NETVAL is an EU Reference Laboratory for alternatives to animal testing (EURL ECVAM) network of specialised laboratories set up in response to Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes. The Directive requests that EU Member States assist the European Commission in the validation of alternative methods. Currently, there are a total of 33 members, selected against predefined Eligibility Criteria and endorsed by the Member State National Contact Points (NCP). 

If you already belong to the EU-NETVAL network and would like to be listed here with the expertise of your laboratory, kindly contact the ESTIV secretariat or the ESTIV president. We will be happy to present your valuable expertise here. To be added to the EU-NETVAL, please contact EURL ECVAM

CZECH REPUBLIC

National Reference Laboratory for Experimental Immunotoxicology

Address: Šrobárova 49/48, 100 00 Prague Czech Republic
Accreditation: GLP and EN ISO/IEC 17025:2005
Member of EU-NETVAL since 2013

Expertise: the National Reference Laboratory for Experimental Immunotoxicology is focused mainly on the development, implementation and validation of in vitro toxicological methods, employing mainly cell and tissue cultures in order to replace conventional animal testing in the field of immunotoxicity and neuroendocrine toxicity.  The Laboratory actively participates in a number of research tasks, providing preclinical tests of immunotoxic effects of chemical substances and other environmental factors according to the requirements of health institutes, manufacturers and other organizations, using experimental studies in vitro. One of the tasks of the Laboratory is to create specialized professional materials for intervention programs with regard to the possible influence of the health status of the population, and assistance in resolving epidemiologically or hygienically serious situations, carrying out assessment, consulting, coordination and methodological activities

Website: https://archiv.szu.cz/national-reference-laboratory-for-experimental-toxicology
Contact: Dr. Marketa Dvořáková, Head of the NRL for Experimental Immumology, marketa.dvorakova@szu.cz

FHAIVE

Address: Faculty of Medicine and Health technology Arvo Ylpön katu 34, 33520 Tampere Finland
Accreditation: FHAIVE is a GLP accredited laboratory.
Member of EU-NETVAL: 2013

Expertise: FHAIVE is a mulM-disciplinary research group whose mission is to develop and validate integrated approaches (IATA) and models for chemical safety assessment and drug development by integraMng advanced in vitro techniques along with AI-based data analyMcs and predicMve modelling. FHAIVE focuses on advancing the fields of systems toxicology and predicMve pharmacology using big data modelling, knowledge graphs, and machine learning algorithms. We have a unique combinaMon of experMse that spans systems biology, toxicology, cheminformaMcs, and bioinformaMcs.

Special equipment:

• Tecan Spark Microplate reader for measuring absorbance, luminescence, and fluorescence.
• Agilent NGS WorkstaMon for high-throughput automated liquid handling. The instrument has an open system for different genomic applicaMons and automated protocols for PCR/qPCR, sequencing library preparaMon, target enrichment, serial diluMons and nucleic acid purificaMons.
• Automated inverted fluorescent microscope Nikon Eclipse Ti-S is suitable for fluorescence imaging of live as well as fixed and stained cells/Mssues.
• Agilent Bioanalyzer 2100 for quality (size, integrity, purity) checking of RNA/DNA/protein.
• Meso QuickPlex SQ 120 mulMplexing instrument for high-performance, electrochemiluminescence immunoassays.
• Agilent Microarray Scanner for measuring simultaneous expression of the acMvity of thousands of genes.
• MulMchannel Systems MulM-Electrode Array (MEA)- system for measurement and sMmulaMon of electrical acMvity of e.g. cardiomyocytes, neurons, and muscle cells.
• Cellink BioX bioprinter for developing complex 3D cell cultures and Mssue constructs.
• Moreover, FHAIVE is equipped with three high performance compuMng servers. In addiMon to FHAIVE’s own equipment, FHAIVE has access to the core faciliMes of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology of Tampere University.

Website: hdps://research.tuni.fi/faive/
Contact: Dario Greco PhD, Professor , Email: dario.greco@tuni.fi, Phone: +358 50 318 2106

GERMANY

BASF SE, Experimental Toxicology and Ecology,
Laboratory for Development of Alternative Methods

Address: Carl-Bosch-Strasse 38, 67056 Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany
Accreditations and Certifications:
• GLP (Good laboratory practice)
• AAALAC (American Association for Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care)
• GIVIMP (Good in vitro method practice)
• ISO 17020 (to demonstrate their technical competence, independence, impartiality, and the ability to provide reliable services)
Member of EU-NETVAL since 2014

Expertise: BASF is one of the world’s leading chemical companies. Its Experimental Toxicology and Ecology unit performs tests to ensure the safety of all products addressing all relevant areas of toxicology and ecology. Since the late 1990s, this has encompassed the development and use of new testing methods – especially methods that reduce or fully replace animal testing. The institute has been experimentally involved in developing and validation of the methods and approaches adopted as OECD guidelines nos. 431, 439, 442C and D, 443, 492, 497 and EU NETVAL TM2019-10 (DIO1-SKR).

Website: https://www.basf.com

GERMANY

PRIMACYT Cell Culture Technology GmbH

Address: Hagenower Str. 73, 19061 Schwerin, Germany
Accreditation: GLP
Member of EU-NETVAL since 2013

Expertise: Production of primary liver cells from human and animals including non-human primates, rodents, farm animals, birds and fish. A validated technology platform to assay transporter activities in stably transfected HEK293-cells and hepatocytes, drug-drug interaction studies in hepatocytes. Medical device testing according to ISO 10993-5.

Special equipment: Fully certified cell culture laboratory

Website: https://primacyt.com
Contact: sales@primacyt.de

ITALY

VitroScreen SrL

Address: Via Mosé Bianchi, 103 – 20149 Milan (Italy)
Accreditation:
• Since 2010:  GLP certification  for in vitro Toxicity studies (OECD area 2), Biocompatibility studies (OECD area 9.3), Parmacokinetics/toxicokinetics and ADME studies (OECD area 9.7) ( last certificate N°2022-24)
• Since 2023: Certified ISO 13485:2021 EA:34* and ISO 9001:2015 to design and develop in Vitro pre-clinical studies for the assessment of the safety, efficacy, mechanism of action and ADME for Medical Devices, Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics.EA 34  certifies the  compliance of the processes of a  Research organization for R&D  and innovation
• CIR Crédit d’Impôt Recherche – CIR: French Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation agreement

Expertise:
-Quality-oriented approach for NON CLINICAL method standardization and experience  in validation trials
-Application of OECD TG 428 to ADME  studies applied to different industrial sectors

Website: www.vitroscreen.com
Contact: Dr. Marisa Meloni, Facility manager, marisa.meloni@vitroscreen.com

SLOVAK REPUBLIC

SK-NETVAL Laboratory at CEM SAS

Address: Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology at Centre of Experimental Medicine, Dubravská cesta 9, 821 06 Bratislava, Slovakia
Accreditation: GLP by SNAS – scope toxicological studies
Member of EU-NETVAL since 2020

Expertise: SK-NETVAL laboratory specialises in the topical toxicity testing of chemicals, cosmetics, medical devices and pharmaceuticals according to the OECD TGs 431, 432, 439, 492, 498 and ISO 10993:5 and ISO 10993:23. In the area of systemic toxicity, it conducts in vitro inhalation and intestinal studies using 3D reconstructed human models of lung and small intestine

Special equipment: Vitrocell Alpha cloud, SOL-500 Lamp with H1/H2 filters (OECD TG 432/498), Microplate readers for measuring absorbance, luminescence, and fluorescence. Fluorescence Microscopy, HPLC, MIVO – Microfluidic platform, three fully equipped in vitro cell culture laboratories. Via collaboration with the other institutes at the CEM and SAS, it has access to advanced analytical and microscopy equipment at Slovak Academy of Sciences.

Website: https://uef.sav.sk/en
Contact: Dr. Helena Kandarova, IEPT Director, helena.kandarova@savba.sk

SPAIN

GAIKER Technology Centre

Address: Parque Tecnológico, Edif. 202 48170 Zamudio, Bizkaia, Spain.
Accreditation: GLP compliance
Member of EU-NETVAL since 2014

Expertise: GAIKER has wide experience in the pharma, cosmetics, chemical and food industries. We specialise in human health and environmental studies, employing in silico, in vitro and ex vivo models for safety and efficacy studies. For human health studies, different target systems are used depending on the exposure route of the test item: respiratory, gastrointestinal, dermal, immune and central nervous systems. For environmental studies, GAIKER employs in vitro models from marine (e.g. fish and mussels), freshwater (e.g. fish) and soil organisms (e.g. earthworms). GAIKER has a lot of experience in the application of standard and regulatory in vitro methods (OECD, ISO, CEN) and in the development of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) to replace conventional animal testing. The safety assays performed at GAIKER are used both for the Safe and Sustainable by Design of chemicals and advanced materials (including nanomaterials) and for regulatory purposes.

Website: http://www.gaiker.es/ing/index.aspx
Contact: Alberto Katsumiti, katsumiti@gaiker.es

SWEDEN

EU-NETVAL GLP Laboratory at RISE, Research Institute of Sweden AB

Address: Brinellgatan 4, Box 857, SE-501 15 Borås, Sweden
Accreditation:
• ISO 17025 Accreditation (ISO10993-5, ISO10993-12, ISO10993-18)
• GLP compliance (ISO10993-5, ISO10993-12, ISO10993-23)
Member of EU-NETVAL since 2014

Expertise: The laboratory specialises in the validation and performance of biocompatability studies of medical devices as well as in the validation of new in vitro methods for toxicity/endocrine testing of chemicals, and medical devices. RISE has been involved with ECVAM and PEPPER in the validation of methods such as AR-CALUX (TG458), AUR-TPO (TM2019-04 (EU)) and H295R Steroidogenesis Assay (TG456). In addition to the GLP facility, RISE has well-equipped cell-, microbiology and molecular laboratories as well as a large infrastructure for chemical analysis. RISE is also appointed as one of the EURL reference laboratories for testing IVD products.

Website: https://www.ri.se
Contact: Sara Bogren, GLP Facility Manager, sara.bogren@ri.se

Full list of the EU-NETVAL laboratories: Source EURL-ECVAM website