From Maastricht to the world….

Toxicology in Vitro is now accepting manuscripts for the Special Issue arising from ESTIV 2026, the 23rd International Congress of the European Society of Toxicology In Vitro, held in Maastricht, the Netherlands, from 29 June to 2 July 2026. The collection takes its direction from the congress theme — “Ensuring Safety, Advancing Science: Bridging to the Future with NAMs” — and is open until 31 December 2026.

The Special Issue is dedicated to selected contributions arising from the congress. If you gave a talk, presented a poster or contributed to a session in Maastricht, this is the natural place for the full version of that work.

What is in scope

The Special Issue welcomes high-quality papers that advance the development, validation, qualification, standardisation, interpretation and application of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) across toxicological disciplines, including:

• Advanced in vitro models, three-dimensional and organotypic tissue systems
• Microphysiological systems and organ-on-chip platforms
• Stem cell-based and patient-relevant models
• Mechanistic and pathway-based toxicology, and systems toxicology
• Omics-based approaches and imaging-based methods
• Computational toxicology: in silico modelling, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and integrated approaches to testing and assessment (IATA)

Research supporting the use of NAMs in regulatory science and decision-making is equally welcome — including reproducibility, transferability, fit-for-purpose validation, benchmark dose and other quantitative approaches, defined approaches, adverse outcome pathways, exposure-informed testing, and strategies that build confidence in non-animal methods for chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and medical device safety assessment. Contributions that strengthen the bridge between scientific innovation and regulatory acceptance are especially encouraged, in keeping with the congress’ focus on real-world implementation.

Papers addressing FAIR data practices, research output management and other enabling frameworks that support reproducibility, transparency, long-term reuse and regulatory uptake also fall within scope.

Who should submit

Contributions are welcome from academia, industry, regulatory institutions and collaborative initiatives, reflecting the cross-sector spirit of ESTIV 2026. The aim is to gather work that connects disciplines and stakeholders, and that shows how NAMs improve predictive power, mechanistic understanding, efficiency, data quality and ethical standards in modern toxicology.

How to submit

Guest editors

• Dr Helena Kandarova — Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, Centre of Experimental Medicine, Slovak Academy of Sciences
• Dr Luiz Ladeira — Biomechanics Research Unit, GIGA Institute, University of Liège
• Assistant Prof. Mohamed Fathi Abdallah — Aarhus University, Denmark

Full call for papers: https://www.estiv.org/call-for-papers-for-the-special-virtual-issue-estiv-2026/