WE ADVISE AUTHORITIES, PERFORM RESEARCH, AND PROVIDE EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN ESTABLISHED AND EMERGING METHODOLOGIES IN HUMAN TOXICOLOGY
The regulatory toxicologists at the SCAHT provides scientific expertise to support authorities in their risk assessment, management and communication activities. The Centre provides a link between researchers and regulators, helping to translate complex research findings into practical recommendations, measures and policies. SCAHT contributes to the regulatory use of established and new methods, such as in vivo, in vitro and in silico approaches, to tackle new challenges and generate human-relevant and mechanistic insights.SCAHT works in close collaboration with Swiss national authorities as well as leading international bodies such as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). Recent activities include active participation in the European Commission’s Human Health Working Group, contributing to the development of the European roadmap towards phasing out animal testing for chemical safety assessment.
The SCAHT’s regulatory toxicology research aims at filling an existing gap in Switzerland between academic scientific research and regulatory requirements addressing major human gealth problems of regulatory concern. It is structured into two complementary components: intramural integrative desktop research carried out within the SCAHT directorate in Basel, which focusses on data integration, mechanistic interpretation, regulatory translation, and strategic programme development. Second, the extramural, experimental wet-lab research, which is conducted by Swiss SCAHT partner insitutions through targeted funding within a framework of a coordinated, 4-year research programme.
SCAHT’s education and training programme is designed to meet the diverse needs of graduate and continuing education for academia, regulatory agencies and industry. This includes the coordination of modules within the MSc Drug Science in Basel and the MAS Toxicology in Geneva, training for Swiss authorities and international actors. It also leads outreach initiatives to foster dialogue among scientists, regulators and the public.