Charles River And Toxys Partner To Advance Developmental Toxicity Testing With ReproTracker®

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. and Toxys have announced a collaboration to provide Charles River’s clients with access to ReproTracker®, a cutting-edge human stem cell-based in vitro assay that enables rapid and reliable identification of developmental toxicity hazards in new drugs and chemicals.

“ReproTracker is a one-of-a-kind in vitro solution to enable safe and effective developmental toxicity testing,” said Elise Lewis, PhD, ATS, Principal Director and Global Lead, DART (Pharmaceuticals), Charles River. “DART is a critical step in the nonclinical phase of drug and chemical development, and we are pleased to offer our clients access to a tool that can help ensure the safety of patients and consumers.”

Designed to complement traditional developmental and reproductive toxicology (DART) studies, ReproTracker evaluates whether compounds interfere with early embryonic development and quantitatively predicts their potential to cause teratogenic effects. The assay supports early-stage screening for developmental toxicity, provides an animal-free alternative to teratogenicity testing, and helps extrapolate animal-derived findings to human relevance.

Amer Jamalpoor, Chief Scientific Officer at Toxys, added, “Our collaboration with Charles River enables us to accelerate the adoption of ReproTracker and strengthen its validation as a valuable non-animal alternative to classical in vivo approaches for DART.”

This collaboration further expands Charles River’s extensive DART portfolio, which includes services for pharmaceuticals, vaccines, biologics, medical devices, agrochemicals, and food additives. Integrated within Charles River’s Alternative Methods Advancement Project™ (AMAP™), the addition of ReproTracker reinforces the company’s commitment to New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) and the 3Rs principles, Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement, ensuring scientific rigor while reducing reliance on animal testing.