NAVS and IFER play leading roles at annual SIVB meeting
NAVS has long supported the Society for In Vitro Biology (SIVB), a professional organization focused on cell-based biological research and development and the application of these advancements to science and society.
Last week, NAVS and the International Foundation for Ethical Research (IFER) had the opportunity to participate in the SIVB’s annual meeting. While this conference was originally scheduled to be held in Norfolk, Virginia, the meeting was offered online due to ongoing concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Conference registrants were able to watch live-streamed and recorded presentations from the invited speakers, explore poster presentations, and network with other conference attendees. The event provided valuable information about emerging in vitro technologies, many of which have the potential to reduce or replace the use of animals in science.
In addition to attending, NAVS and IFER representatives helped convene speakers for the scientific program.
NAVS Executive Director and IFER President Kenneth Kandaras, and NAVS/IFER Science Advisor John Harbell, Ph.D., co-convened a plenary session entitled “Regulations & Transparency: Imperatives for Emerging Technologies.” This session included a talk from guest speaker Dr. Thomas Hartung of the Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing. Dr. Hartung spoke about how new technologies are serving as game changers in drug development and safety sciences.
Dr. Harbell, who was formerly president of SIVB, also convened a session entitled “Application of Stem Cell Technology to the Development of Tissue Specific Organoids,” which included four talks on emerging organoid models.
Conference attendees were impressed by the wealth of information that was shared at the meeting. They were also inspired by the progress that is being made in the development of human-relevant in vitro models that have the potential to reduce and replace traditional animal models. NAVS and IFER are encouraged by the paradigm shift that is taking place and were honored to play important roles in bringing this information to SIVB attendees.