XCellR8, a UK-based laboratory exclusively devoted to animal-free safety and efficacy tests for the cosmetics, personal care and chemical industries, has received £51,000 in funding from national campaign group Animal Aid. This represents half of the total matched funding required to supplement a research grant already received from Innovate UK.
The company said that this will be used in its work to develop a humane, animal-product free, human-relevant and validated laboratory test for acute toxicity that can replace the current LD50 test, which date back to 1927. Despite major scientific advances in animal-free toxicology in recent years, more than 80,000 animals are still used annually in acute toxicity testing in the EU alone.
