Prevalidation study of the BALB/c 3T3 cell transformation assay for assessment of carcinogenic potential of chemicals.

The cell transformation assays (CTAs) have attracted attention within the field of alternative methods due to their potential to reduce the number of animal experiments in the field of carcinogenicity. The CTA using BALB/c 3T3 cells has proved to be able to respond to chemical carcinogens by inducing morphologically transformed foci. Although a considerable amount of data on the performance of the assay has been collected, a formal evaluation focusing particularly on reproducibility, and a standardised protocol were considered important.

Genotoxicity and morphological transformation induced by cobalt nanoparticles and cobalt chloride: an in vitro study in Balb/3T3 mouse fibroblasts.

Nanotechnology is an emerging field that involves the development, manufacture and measurement of materials and systems in the submicron to nanometer range. Its development is expected to have a large socio-economical impact in practically all fields of industrial activity. However, there is still a lack of information about the potential risks of manufactured nanoparticles for the environment and for human health.

Comparison of impedance-based sensors for cell adhesion monitoring and in vitro methods for detecting cytotoxicity induced by chemicals.

The recent European Commission REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) policy outlines a plan for toxicological testing by using alternative non-animal in vitro methods. In this context, there is a need to develop and standardise high-throughput screening (HTS) methods for studying the cytotoxicity induced by chemicals. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) can be considered as a complementary technique to alternative in vitro testing for studying cell adhesion to the substrate, and can give real-time and kinetic information on cell responses to a toxicant.