NICEATM and IABS hold rabies vaccine workshop

NICEATM and the International Alliance for Biological Standardization co-organized an October 16-17 workshop “Implementing Non-animal Approaches to Human and Veterinary Vaccine Testing: Achieving Scientific and Regulatory Success for Rabies and Beyond” at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. Over 60 scientists from government, academia and industry gathered to develop recommendations to advance alternative methods for human and veterinary rabies vaccine testing.
Presentations on the first day of the workshop detailed the current state of the science of non-animal alternatives to traditional rabies vaccine potency and safety tests. On day two, separate breakout group discussions focused on the steps necessary for implementing alternatives for veterinary and human rabies vaccine potency testing. Participants identified actions and data still needed to achieve this, and laid the foundation for a roadmap towards successful implementation. Meeting outcomes and associated recommendations will be summarized in a report in the journal Biologicals.