Highlight report: 'Big data in the 3R's: outlook and recommendations', a roundtable summary

Abstract

With the advances in animal alternative testing methods,

computational models, and the emergence of integrated testing

strategies, the status of big data in the 3R’s (replacement,

reduction and refinement) has come to the fore. A roundtable at the Tenth World Congress on Alternatives (WC-10) in Seattle set out to examine what big data means for the 3Rs and to review the progress being made. Big data indeed brings about the possibility of a deeper understanding of biology, which in turn could play a role in eventually redefining our decision-making process in chemical safety assessment, but the topic is not without its challenges. Opportunities exist to address these both now and in the future, as discussed herein.