Less than One Week Until WC13 in Rio de Janeiro

The 13th World Congress on Alternatives and the Use of Animals in the Life Sciences (WC13) is fast approaching, taking place in Rio de Janeiro from August 31 – September 4, 2025. This global meeting will unite scientists, regulators, and industry leaders advancing the 3Rs—Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement—with the shared goal of building human-relevant science while reducing reliance on animal testing.

I am pleased to be attending and presenting a poster in collaboration with PeptiMatrix.

Poster Presentation

Title: Self-assembling peptide hydrogels as user-defined synthetic matrices for in vitro modelling

Category: Human Health – Replacement

Abstract Number: 506

Authors: John Curd, Viola Erdelyi, Mikayla Shelton, Cathy Merry, and Clive Roper, PeptiMatrix Limited

Presenter: Clive Roper

This poster highlights the development of a self-assembling peptide hydrogel (SAPH)—a synthetic, animal-free 3D cell culture platform designed to address the limitations of traditional animal-derived matrices such as Matrigel®. By offering a chemically defined and reproducible system, SAPHs hold significant promise for accelerating drug discovery and enhancing human relevance in preclinical testing.

In addition to the poster, I would like to highlight an Oral Presentation by L’Oréal’s Global Vision for NAMs.

Featured Oral Presentation: L’Oréal’s Global Vision for NAMs

Session: #75 – Updates to OECD Guidance Document 34 on the Validation of Test Methods and Defined Approaches

Date: Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Presentation: A Call to Action: Advancing New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) in Regulatory Toxicology Through a Unified Framework for Validation and Acceptance (Presentation #154)

Authors: Gladys Ouédraogo, Nathalie Alépée, Bambou Tan, L’Oréal Research & Innovation and Clive Roper, Roper Toxicology Consulting Limited

Speaker: Gladys Ouédraogo, Senior Scientific Officer, L’Oréal Research & Innovation

This session will present L’Oréal’s global vision for harmonizing the validation and acceptance of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) in regulatory toxicology. It emphasizes the urgent need for a unified, cross-sector framework grounded in measurable quality standards, transparent data sharing, and regulatory harmonization, addressing one of toxicology’s most pressing challenges: safeguarding human health while advancing beyond reliance on animal testing.

Learn more in this Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology Journal Article: A call to action: Advancing new approach methodologies (NAMs) in regulatory toxicology through a unified framework for validation and acceptance

 If You’re Attending #WC13Rio

• Hear from me about how synthetic peptide hydrogels are shaping the future of in vitro models at Poster #506

• Engage with L’Oréal’s framework for advancing NAMs in regulatory toxicology during Session #75, September 2, 9:30am – 11:00am

Feel free to reach out to me to schedule a time to meet with me during the congress, clive@ropertcl.com

#WC13Rio #WC13Program #3Rs #AlternativesToAnimalTesting #InnovateForScience #PeptimatrixLimited #RoperToxicologyConsultingLimited #CliveRoper #NAMs #RegulatoryToxicology #InVitroModels