The recently published conference report from the Animal-Free Chemical Safety Assessment (AF-CSA) Conference, held in Brussels from 4 to 6 March 2025, charts a visionary path toward phasing out animal testing in regulatory chemical safety evaluations. The event convened over 250 experts, regulators, industry representatives, and NGO leaders to advance the adoption of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) and Next Generation Risk Assessment (NGRA) techniques—a scientific paradigm shift aimed at protecting human and environmental health without reliance on animal models.
Through plenary sessions and focused breakout groups, participants explored strategic short-, medium-, and long-term actions: from validating in vitro and in silico replacements for traditional tests to developing performance and uncertainty frameworks for complex hazard assessments. The outcomes are intended to feed into the European Commission’s Roadmap, set to guide legislative and organisational changes across multiple EU regulatory frameworks. As this roadmap prepares for its official launch in early 2026, the conference report offers a practical and collaborative blueprint for accelerating Europe’s transition to animal-free chemical risk assessment.
