Our Mission
VICT3R is committed to transforming toxicology research by minimising the need for animal control groups. We aim to replace them with Virtual Control Groups, leveraging decades of historical data processed by statistics and cutting-edge AI technologies.
Our Vision
A future where drug and chemical safety evaluations are more ethical, efficient, and scientifically rigorous, with a reduced reliance on animal testing.
VICT3R (Developing and implementing VIrtual Control groups To reducE animal use in toxicology Research) is a 42-month initiative that began in September 2024, funded by the Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking (IHI JU). The project aims to develop, validate, and support the regulatory acceptance of Virtual Control Groups (VCGs) —a data-driven approach to reducing animal use in toxicology/research. Building on previous work from the eTRANSAFE IMI2 project, VICT3R seeks to advance VCGs as a new approach methodology (NAM), further developing their applicability and ensuring their integration into regulatory testing frameworks.
Traditional toxicology studies assess the safety of new drugs and chemicals using three treatment groups and one control group, where control animals receive no active substance. These control groups are essential for comparison but significantly contribute to the total number of animals used in experiments. In addition, sentinel animals, required for monitoring study conditions, further increase animal use.
VICT3R sets out to demonstrate and validate the use of VCGs as a potential alternative to traditional control groups. By leveraging historical toxicology data, VCGs could replace part or all the control animals in a study, reducing animal use by up to 25% while maintaining scientific and regulatory standards. Additionally, introducing VCGs could lead to a reduction in sentinel animals, further optimizing study designs.
Beyond reducing animal use, VCGs have the potential to improve study quality by:
- Increasing statistical power, leading to more reliable results.
- Providing control data for studies that traditionally lack control groups.
- Defining normal ranges for in-life measurements, improving study interpretation.
- Detecting rare spontaneous findings in histopathology, refining study outcomes.
The introduction of VCGs could also result in cost savings by:
- Reducing costs associated with the purchase and maintenance of control animals.
- Eliminating experimental costs related to the study of concurrent control animals.
Through this work, VICT3R aims to provide the necessary scientific evidence to support the regulatory adoption of VCGs, aligning with the 3Rs principles (Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement) and contributing to more ethical, efficient, and cost-effective toxicology research.
