New approach methodologies (NAMs) for improved developmental and reproductive toxicity (DART) assessment with focus on endocrine disruption - a PARC project

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Authors	ARDENKJAER-SKINNERUP Jacob BAERT Yoni BAJARD ÉP.ESNER Lola Murielle BLUM Jonathan BRION Francois COPPOLA Lucia FINI Jean-Baptiste FRITSCHE Ellen HOLBECH Henrik HUREM Selma JACOBS Miriam Naomi JOHANSSON Hanna Katarina Lilith KNAPEN Dries KOCH Katharina LYCHE Jan Ludvig MAI Phuong Ngoc Thi NEUHAUS Winfried NIKOLOV Nikolai Georgiev NURANI Atika PAPAGEORGIOU Katerina POULSEN Rikke RAMHOJ Louise ŘEHŮŘKOVÁ Eliška ROSENMAI Anna Kjerstine RUEGG Joelle SOVADINOVÁ Iva TAIT Sabrina VAN DE PETTE Mathew VANHAECKE Tamara VERGAUWEN Lucia WEDEBYE Eva Bay XU Elvis Genbo SVINGEN Terje
Year of publication	2026
Type	Peer-reviewed scientific article
Magazine / Source	Frontiers in Toxicology
MU Faculty or unit	Faculty of Science
Citation
web	https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/toxicology/articles/10.3389/ftox.2026.1736963/full
Doi	https://doi.org/10.3389/ftox.2026.1736963
Keywords	adverse outcome pathway (AOP); developmental toxicity; endocrine disruption; non-animal methods; regulatory toxicology; reproductive disorders
Attached files	2560927.pdf
Description	Endocrine disruptors (EDs) are implicated in adverse developmental and reproductive outcomes, yet their identification remains a major challenge in chemical safety assessment. Current testing strategies rely heavily on animal models, which are constrained by ethical concerns, interspecies differences, and limited mechanistic resolution but justified by the complexity of the endocrine system and its physiology. Capturing the complex biology of intact organisms and incorporating toxicokinetic properties in alternative test methods is challenging. To address this, the European Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC) is advancing the development and regulatory integration of new approach methodologies (NAMs). This project specifically contributes by developing and validating human-relevant NAMs to identify key aspects of endocrine disruption relevant to developmental and reproductive toxicity (DART). Key innovative activities include predictive modeling, refinement of zebrafish and amphibian embryo assays, and establishment of advanced in vitro systems for assessing toxicity in the oocyte, testis, placenta, and brain. By combining mechanistic insights with multi-modality and high throughput testing strategies, this work aims to improve the predictive power and regulatory utility of NAMs for ED identification within the One Health paradigm.
Related projects:	Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals