Toxys, a biotechnology company specialising in innovative in vitro toxicology solutions, and Charles River Laboratories announced an expanded collaboration to broaden access to ToxTracker® and ReproTracker®, two New Approach Methodologies for genotoxicity and developmental toxicity assessment. Under a licensing agreement, Charles River will offer ToxTracker from its Den Bosch facility; under a subcontracting agreement, it will offer ReproTracker, with testing performed at Toxys.
The partnership combines Toxys’ mechanistic assay platforms with Charles River’s global safety assessment capabilities to support more predictive, human-relevant decision-making across pharmaceutical, chemical, agrochemical, and consumer product development.
The collaboration follows the publication of OECD Test Guideline 446A for ToxTracker on 2 July 2026. The guideline describes ToxTracker as a standardised reporter gene assay for identifying genotoxic hazards and providing mechanistic information on genotoxic and non-genotoxic modes of action. Validation studies have shown that these mechanistic insights can help predict in vivo genotoxicity outcomes and support the interpretation of equivocal or positive results from established in vitro assays.
ReproTracker is a human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-based biomarker assay that models aspects of early embryonic development to identify potential developmental toxicity hazards before, or in support of, safety assessment studies. ToxTracker and ReproTracker provide complementary insights into genetic and developmental hazards while supporting wider implementation of NAMs.
“Together with Charles River, we are helping drive the transition towards more predictive and human-relevant safety assessment,” said Giel Hendriks, Chief Executive Officer of Toxys. “Combining Charles River’s global reach with Toxys’ mechanistic in vitro platforms will make these approaches more accessible for toxicology and regulatory decision-making.”
“Access to well-characterised, human-relevant tools is increasingly important for modern safety assessment,” said Allison Lintern, Senior Manager, Business Coordination DART at Charles River Laboratories. “Our collaboration with Toxys gives clients earlier insight into potential genetic and developmental toxicity findings and supports more informed decisions before conducting in vivo studies.”
The expanded collaboration builds on a shared commitment to advancing human-relevant science and accelerating the practical implementation of NAMs. By combining mechanistic in vitro technologies with global safety assessment expertise, Toxys and Charles River aim to improve toxicity identification, strengthen scientific decision-making and contribute to the continued reduction of animal testing where scientifically appropriate.
