ALTERNATIVE Project

ALTERNATIVE & LIFESAVER Workshop: Regulatory Innovation and Health Safety
2024-10-23 13:30 - 15:00 (Europe/Berlin)
AGENDA
13:30 – 13:35
Welcome
Overview: A brief welcome and introduction to the workshop’s goals, focusing on the collaborative efforts between ALTERNATIVE and LIFESAVER to enhance health safety through regulatory innovation.
13:35 – 13:50
Presentation 1: Innovations in detecting cardiotoxicity of chemicals through aged cardiac tissue models.
ALTERNATIVE Project : Birgit Mertens(ALTERNATIVE)
13:50 – 14:05
Presentation 2: Advancing fetal health risk assessments and regulatory frameworks with innovative digital twin technology.
LIFESAVER Project: Michael Gasik (LIFESAVER)
14:05 – 14:45
Panel Discussion: Regulatory and Technological Innovation in Health Safety
– Moderator: Pooja Mohnani (ALTERNATIVE)
– Panelists:

Martin Paparella(ALTERNATIVE)
Laura Lecluyse (LIFESAVER)
Birgit Mertens (ALTERNATIVE)
Michael Gasik (LIFESAVER)

Discussion Points:

Regulatory and Technological Innovation: How do your projects integrate technological innovations to contribute to regulatory advancements and enhance healthcare safety?
Impact on Health Policies: How do you foresee the findings from your projects influencing future health policies and practices?
Collaborative Opportunities: What opportunities exist for collaboration between your projects to further improve health safety?

14:45 – 14:55
Open Discussion and Audience Q&A
14:55 – 15:00
Closing Remarks : Wrap up the session with a recap of the key insights shared and the importance of ongoing collaboration in regulatory innovation and health safety.

ALTERNATIVE Stakeholder Briefing Workshop
2025-03-07 09:30 - 11:00
Date: Friday, 7th March 2025Time: 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM CETLocation: Hybrid (Physical & Online)
Details for joining physically: Sciensano Headquarters 14 rue Juliette Wytsmans/ Juliette Wytsmanstraat 1050 Bruxelles – Meeting room Nelis
More Information: alternative-project.eu
About the Workshop
The ALTERNATIVE project, funded under the Horizon 2020 programme, is developing an innovative platform for assessing the cardiotoxicity of chemicals. This platform is designed to help regulators and industry stakeholders identify, quantify, and prevent cardiotoxic co-exposures to industrial chemicals and pharmaceuticals in a cost-effective manner. By integrating cutting-edge methodologies, such as Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) networks, Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) tools, and Physiologically Based Kinetic (PBK) models, the project aims to improve chemical risk assessment and support regulatory decision-making.
This Stakeholder Briefing Workshop will provide an opportunity to present key developments from the ALTERNATIVE project and discuss their implications for the wider scientific and regulatory community. Participants will gain insights into the latest advancements in AOP network development, QSAR tools, and PBK models, as well as explore potential exploitation opportunities for the project’s outcomes. The event will feature presentations from project experts, followed by an open discussion where stakeholders can share their perspectives and ask questions.
Agenda and Key Topics
The workshop will begin with an overview of the ALTERNATIVE project’s progress, followed by four focused presentations.

Presentation 1: AOP network development
Presentation 2: AI-Driven QSAR Models: Predicting Cardiotoxicity Through AOP Networks

Presentation 3: The Role of Computational Tools in the Risk Assessment of Cardiotoxic Chemicals

Presentation 4: Exploitation opportunities & discussion
Open Discussion and Audience Q&A

Following the presentations, an open discussion and Q&A session will allow participants to engage directly with project experts and other stakeholders. This will be an opportunity to explore the potential implementation of the ALTERNATIVE platform in regulatory and industrial settings and discuss challenges and future directions.
Speakers

The workshop will feature contributions from key members of the ALTERNATIVE project team, including:
Alexandra Schaffert : Postdoctoral Researcher at FHAIVE at Tampere University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology in Finland
Alessandra Roncaglioni : Head of the Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Mario Negri Institute Milan, Italy
Edoardo Vigano : PhD student in Artificial Intelligence for experimental pharmacology, Mario Negri Institute Milan, Italy
Ronette Gehring : Professor of Veterinary Pharmacotherapeutics and Pharmacy at Utrecht University
Maria Zaragoza : Technology Consultant, Innovation Ecosystem and Policies, Eurecat, Barcelona
Discussion Points

AOP network development: How did ALTERNATIVE project integrated technological innovations on the AOP network development?
QSAR tools: How did the QSAR tools were developed in the project and their potential use?
QSAR and PBK Models: Explain the case study including QSAR and PBK?
Exploitation discussion with participants: Which are the most potential strategies and actions to make use of ALTERNATIVE results? How targeted stakeholders can boost their impact in the long-term?

Who Should Attend?
This event is particularly relevant for researchers, industry professionals, regulatory authorities, and policymakers involved in chemical safety, toxicology, and risk assessment. Whether you are working on chemical regulation, pharmaceutical safety, or computational modelling, the insights shared in this workshop will provide valuable perspectives on the latest advancements in cardiotoxicity assessment.
Participation
The workshop will be held in a hybrid format, allowing participants to attend either in person or online. This ensures accessibility for a broad audience and facilitates engagement from international stakeholders.
The location details for joining physically: Sciensano Headquarters 14 rue Juliette Wytsmans/ Juliette Wytsmanstraat 1050 Bruxelles – Meeting room Nelis
Download the flyer here
