ICAPO Leads International Project on Nonanimal Respiratory Sensitisation

The International Council on Animal Protection in OECD Programmes (ICAPO) aims to replace animal testing with more effective nonanimal methods on a global scale. We do this by reviewing and commenting on Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) documents, attending OECD meetings, and in some cases, co-leading projects through the OECD. In 2026, a new milestone was reached by our ICAPO experts.

The Respiratory Sensitisation Detailed Review Paper was published: In collaboration with several member countries, ICAPO members from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and ICAPO guest experts from the Institute for In Vitro Sciences led a project to establish a thorough state-of-the-science Detailed Review Paper on Respiratory Sensitisation, published on August 10, 2026. Currently, there are no widely accepted methods for this endpoint; this review prioritizes nonanimal methods as the foundation of a regulatory assessment. Continuation of this work was already approved by the Working Party on Hazard Assessment and work is ongoing to establish an Integrated Approach to Testing and Assessment for the endpoint. The ultimate goal is to establish the first Defined Approach for respiratory sensitisation without reliance on animal methods.