OpenTox

The OpenTox Association has been established. The purpose of the Association is to promote the community-based exchange and use of open knowledge, software, methods, tools, data, reference resources, and standards in the scientific activities of predictive toxicology, safety assessment and risk management, including the "3Rs" goal of the Reduction, Refinement and Replacement of Animal Testing. The Association was established by virtual meeting on the 27th March 2015. The articles of the Association were approved by participating members as a Swiss-based international non-profit membership organisation. The participants elected a management committee to manage the development of the organisation and its activities. President-elect Dr. Barry Hardy commented "The founding of the Association builds on several years of community development and research around the concept of an open framework and platform. I am confident that our open and transparent approach will accelerate the industry and regulatory acceptance and use of the many new alternative testing methods for safety assessment emerging from research programs around the world that will replace traditional animal testing." The association will provide an authoritative forum to discuss and resolve scientific, technical and legal issues relating to current and future academic and commercial work based on OpenTox. Working groups are being established to further develop standards and software and to enable and educate a growing community of application developers. "One initial important goal of OpenTox we will pursue is the sustainable availability and integration of data resources into practical work situations of scientists, risk assessors, managers and regulators. Data is currently often not available or difficult to find or use.