Category Archives: Uncategorised

Stakeholder survey

News, UncategorisedSophie Jensen

We would like to invite you to conduct an online questionnaire as part of the stakeholder survey of the European project EuroMix.

Within the project EuroMix, short for ‘European testing and risk assessment strategies for Mixtures’,  a new proposed methodology is tested on its appropriateness to test mixtures of contaminants to which European citizens are exposed daily through their diet or other channels. The project can also be seen as the extension of the ACROPOLIS project of several years ago that focused on pesticide mixtures. Besides the risk evaluation of said mixtures, also   legislation, implementation strategies and the reformation of routine toxicological testing (according to the 3Rs principle) will be investigated by various partners. To make the project substantiated, a section in the project is prevised to gauge the opinions of all potential stakeholder groups to this new test strategy and its consequences. This goes from the farmer to the NGO, chemical manufacturers to animal welfare organisations and researchers to consumers.

The survey would be conducted in three phases. The first wave is an interview with some key people within each stakeholder group, to obtain a first scan of the field. A second phase involves an online survey, which a very large number of stakeholders will be invited. A third phase will work with focus groups by stakeholder group, and focuses on discussing the results of previous waves.

We would like to ask you if you would like to complete the questionnaire from your background. We are directly interested in your opinion and vision on the concepts within the project and their feasibility. As this survey is also seen as SWOT analysis, you can steer the project along the lines. If you want to invite colleagues, partners, or even competitors, we encourage this strongly. The more participants are reached with this survey, the better the representation from the field.

The questionnaire will take about 30 min. If you wish to participate, the survey will be open in the period of June 6th to July 31st, but take it before your summer holidays. I am aware that the questions could be somewhat technical, but try to answer as much as you can to your ability.

To go to the survey, click on the link:

https://ghentagriecon.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_2rb3ZSQvWUtlxA1

If it doesn’t open, copy and paste the URL into your internet browser.

Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

EFSA-RIVM Symposium

UncategorisedSophie Jensen

EFSA-RIVM symposium

EFSA and RIVM organised an international symposium to reflect on the state of play in research with regard to the risk assessment and toxicity testing of chemical mixtures in Europe. On 18 and 19 May 2016, Dutch researchers, scientists, stakeholders and policy-makers were joined by their European and international peers to discuss scientific progress in this field.

Here is a news item (Chemical mixtures: debating the issues) from the EFSA webpage and a recap of the symposium as well as all given presentations.

Third consortium meeting EuroMix

UncategorisedSophie Jensen

Date:     13-15 April 2016             Venue:  Zurich, Switzerland

Aim of the meeting:

  1. Overview of results and try-outs.
    • Presenting the outcome of the discussion and efforts regarding exposure-driven testing, AOPs (all three endpoints, measurements instruments), results training compounds, biomarker of effect).
  2. To discuss the aim of validation and how to set-up the in vivo testing for validating the in vitro testing
  3. To work towards decisions on the testing
  4. To discuss integration into model platforms
  5. To prepare the Scientific Advisory Board

Second Consortium Meeting EuroMix

UncategorisedSophie Jensen

Date:     23 and 24 November 2015

Venue:                Larnaca Cyprus

The aim of the meeting is among other things to present and elaborate on the four relevant pathways and to discuss the integration of the relevant elements.

Pathway 1: Adverse Outcome Pathway, how to come from a qualitative description to a quantifiable AOP for mixtures

Pathway 2: Testing strategy, what are the possibilities and how are the experiments linked to key-events, overseeing the instruments available

Pathway 3: Exposure driven test approaches, what can be expected from exposure assessment and how can the first results drive the test strategy

Pathway 4: from external dose to biomarkers of effect useful for epidemiology (to set a proof of principle only)