Ripe's video: Latest A I Technology Tool Creates Alternatives to Animal Testing

Thomas Hartung, a professor of toxicology at Johns Hopkins University, has created an AI tool that is more accurate than animal testing in predicting chemical toxicity. While animal testing has an average accuracy of 81 percent, Hartung’s algorithm is 6 percent more accurate at 87 percent, giving it the potential to diminish the use of the controversial method. Hartung generated a map that contains the chemical structures and toxicology of around 10,000 compounds, created from a database his team compiled to regulate chemicals in Europe. His algorithm can place an unknown compound within this map to compare it to these thousands of other chemical structures, predicting the compound’s level of toxicity and potential side effects that come with use. The algorithm is an improvement on the ‘read across’ method of chemical toxicity testing, where researchers predict the toxicity of an unknown compound by comparing it to a known one with a similar structure. Molecular toxicologist Mark Viant of the University of Birmingham, UK credited Europe’s REACH compliance program with the algorithm’s existence, stating that “it is only because of Europe’s very progressive substance safety legislation, and the data from it, that this informatics study has been possible.” The US, as well as many other countries, mandates toxicity tests of chemical compounds before the sale of products containing them. But unlike other countries including the European Union, India, Israel, Norway, and Switzerland, animal testing for cosmetics is not banned, resulting in millions of animals being tested on per year. While these other countries are striving to find ways to chemically test without using animals -- such as the read-across method and Hartung’s algorithm -- the US continues cosmetic animal testing. Another technology with the potential to replace animal testing is Organ-on-a-Chip, a 3D cell culture chip built on silicone that simulates the functions of organ systems. This could replace animal testing by providing a more ethical, but comparably insightful, method of chemical toxicity testing. Despite these steps forward, there is still a long road ahead toward eradicating animal testing. According to Mike Rasenburg, head of computational assessment at the, “scientifically, there is a lot of work to be done. No one wants animal tests, but we can’t yet do all toxicology with a computer.” Ripe is one of the first US media production companies dedicated to telling plant-based, vegan, and environmental stories. ​ ​We only produce original digital video content including TV series, documentaries, breaking & current news, and exclusive interviews with industry leaders. ​ It is our promise to provide you with informative, entertaining, and well produced content on all things plant-based, vegan and environmental. You can watch our shows, news, interviews, and documentaries directly on our website, Facebook and YouTube channel. We are 100% independently funded out of pocket with no big backers, angel investors, or secret sponsorship fees... ​With warm regards, The Ripe Team SUBSCRIBE HERE: https://www.youtube.com/ripewatch CHECK US OUT: Ripewatch.com FOLLOW RIPE: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ripewatch Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ripewatch Twitter: https://twitter.com/ripewatch