Barcelona, October 16 − The VICT3R project is proud to announce the expansion of its consortium with the addition of new beneficiaries joining the project and organisations joining the VICT3R Associated Contract Research Organisation (CRO) Network. This growing network of organisations strengthens VICT3R’s mission to transform the way safety is evaluated in drug and chemical development by reducing reliance on laboratory animals.
The newly joined beneficiaries include first-line industry partners Servier Group and Zoetis Belgium SA.
- Servier is an independent international pharmaceutical group governed by a foundation, committed to therapeutic innovation.
- Zoetis is the world’s leading animal health company.
Additionally, the project welcomes CAATevents gGmbH, an SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) established in Germany as a non-for-profit to support CAAT-US and CAAT-Europe, focused on the development and validation of alternatives to animal testing.
These additions bring the VICT3R consortium to a total of 37 partner organisations across 12 countries, comprising six academic institutions, eight SMEs and 23 industry partners across human, veterinary, and crop science sectors. With this expansion, the total project budget has increased to approximately €30 million.
In addition, other organisations have formally joined the VICT3R Community through the signing of Associated CRO Agreements: Charles River Laboratories International Inc., Scantox A/S and Labcorp. These organisations contribute valuable study data and decades of experience to support the development of Virtual Control Groups (VCGs) − a cornerstone of the VICT3R project.
- Charles River is a leading, global provider of drug discovery, development, and manufacturing solutions.
- Scantox A/S is preclinical contract research organisation supporting pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies in drug development.
- Labcorp is a global leader of innovative and comprehensive laboratory services.
Ferran Sanz (Pompeu Fabra University, Spain) VICT3R Project Coordinator: “Given its potential for reducing the number of animals used in toxicology testing, the VICT3R project is generating great interest from industry stakeholders across different sectors, as reflected in the high number of companies involved in the project.”
Thomas Steger-Hartmann (Bayer, Germany), VICT3R Project Lead: “With the addition of the new partners, VICT3R will increase its outreach and momentum. The CROs and laboratory will contribute to the speed of uptake of VCGs in pre-clinical testing.”
Frank Bringezu (Merck Healthcare KGaA, Germany), VICT3R Co Lead: “With these new partners, the project substantially increases its impact and positions the VICT3R consortium at the forefront of transformative advancements in animal reduction, replacement and refinement.”
About VICT3R
VICT3R (Developing and Implementing Virtual Control Groups to Reduce Animal Use in Toxicology Research) is a public-private partnership funded by the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI JU). The 3.5-year project, led by Pompeu Fabra University (Barcelona, Spain) and Bayer AG (Berlin, Germany), launched in September 2024, aims to reduce the use of animals in safety testing by replacing traditional control groups of live animals with Virtual Control Groups (VCGs) − statistically robust alternatives generated from historical study data, advanced statistics, and artificial intelligence.
In non-clinical safety studies, animals are often used as untreated controls for comparison purposes, with experiments typically including three treatment groups and one control group. VICT3R’s goal is to replace these control animals with virtual equivalents, thereby reducing the overall number of animals required − by up to 25% in some cases − while maintaining scientific rigor and regulatory acceptance.
By building a shared database of high-quality historical control data and working in close collaboration with regulators, contract research organisations, and industry, VICT3R is laying the foundation for a more ethical, efficient, and sustainable approach to toxicology.
Inari Soininen (SYNAPSE Research Management Partners S.L., Spain), VICT3R Project Manager: “The VCG concept is more than a technological advance – it represents a shift toward a more ethical and sustainable approach to safety testing, benefiting both the research community and society at large.”
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For more information about the project and upcoming developments, visit:
https://www.ihi.europa.eu/projects-results/project-factsheets/vict3r
Press Contacts:
Ferran Sanz, UPF – ferran.sanz@upf.edu
Thomas Steger-Hartmann, Bayer – thomas.steger-hartmann@bayer.com
Inari Soininen, SYNAPSE – isoininen@synapse-managers.com
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Acknowledgement
This project is supported by the Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking (IHI JU) under grant agreement No 101172693. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme and COCIR, EFPIA, Europa Bío, MedTech Europe, and Vaccines Europe and Instem Scientific Limited
Disclaimer
Funded by the European Union, the private members, and those contributing partners of the IHI JU. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the aforementioned parties. Neither of the aforementioned parties can be held responsible for them.