MODERN-DAY TOXICOLOGY is going under glass.
Simultaneously with pressures from groups concerned about what they believe is unnecessary use of animals in tests, considerable scientific interest is developing in using in vitro techniques to evaluate the safety of commercial products, such as certain compounds or drugs. However, despite the fact that in recent years a number of in vitro tests have been developed to replace tests on animals, a broad science base using in vitro technologies has yet to be developed.
Alan M. Goldberg, PhD, of the School of Hygiene and Public Health says that, with an $800 000 research program spread among 12 to 15 institutions around the country as well as Hopkins itself, he and his associates are seeking to lay the groundwork for scientific acceptability of in vitro testing.
"There are those who think that the methodologies already exist to do this," he says. "But this is