[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 81 (Wednesday, April 29, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19562-19563]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-9845]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


National Toxicology Program (NTP); Office of Liaison, Policy and 
Review; Meeting of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Alternative 
Toxicological Methods (SACATM)

AGENCY: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), 
National Institutes of Health (NIH).

ACTION: Meeting announcement and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 10(a) of the Federal Advisory Committee 
Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2), notice is hereby given of a 
meeting of SACATM on June 25-26, 2009, at the Hilton Arlington Hotel, 
950 North Stafford Street, Arlington, VA 22203. The meeting is open to 
the public with attendance limited only by the space available. SACATM 
advises the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of 
Alternative Methods (ICCVAM), the NTP Interagency Center for the 
Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods (NICEATM), and the 
Director of the NIEHS and NTP regarding statutorily mandated duties of 
ICCVAM and activities of NICEATM.

DATES: The SACATM meeting will be held on June 25 and 26, 2009. The 
meeting is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 25 and 8:30 a.m. 
until adjournment on June 26, 2009. All individuals who plan to attend 
are encouraged to register online at the NTP Web site (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/7441) by June 17, 2009. In order to facilitate 
planning, persons wishing to make an oral presentation are asked to 
notify Dr. Lori White, NTP Executive Secretary, via online 
registration, phone, or e-mail by June 17, 2009 (see ADDRESSES below). 
Written comments should also be received by June 17, 2009, to enable 
review by SACATM and NIEHS/NTP staff before the meeting.

ADDRESSES: The SACATM meeting will be held at the Hilton Arlington 
Hotel, 950 North Stafford Street, Arlington, VA 22203 [hotel: (703) 
528-6000)]. Public comments and other correspondence should be directed 
to Dr. Lori White (NTP Office of Liaison, Policy and Review, NIEHS, 
P.O. Box 12233, MD K2-03, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709; telephone: 
919-541-9834 or e-mail: [email protected]). Courier address: NIEHS, 
530 Davis Drive, Room 2136, Durham, NC 27713. Persons needing 
interpreting services in order to attend should contact 301-402-8180 
(voice) or 301-435-1908 (TTY).

[[Page 19563]]

Requests should be made at least 7 days in advance of the meeting.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Preliminary Agenda Topics and Availability of Meeting Materials

    Preliminary agenda topics include:
     NICEATM-ICCVAM Update.
     Regulatory Acceptance of ICCVAM-Recommended Alternative 
Test Methods.
     NRC Report Recognition and Alleviation of Pain in 
Laboratory Animals.
     Implementation of NICEATM-ICCVAM Five-Year Plan.
     Federal Agency Research, Development, Translation, and 
Validation Activities Relevant to the NICEATM-ICCVAM Five-Year Plan 
(EPA and USDA).
     Report on second meeting of Independent Peer Review Panel: 
Evaluation of the Updated Validation Status of New Versions and 
Applications of the Murine Local Lymph Node Assay: Assessing the 
Allergic Contact Dermatitis Potential of Chemicals and Products.
     Report on the Independent Scientific Peer Review Panel on 
Alternative Ocular Safety Testing Methods.
     Update from the Japanese Center for the Validation of 
Alternative Methods.
     Update from the European Centre for the Evaluation of 
Alternative Methods.
     Update from Health Canada.
    A copy of the preliminary agenda, committee roster, and additional 
information, when available, will be posted on the NTP Web site (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/7441) or available upon request (see ADDRESSES 
above). Following the SACATM meeting, summary minutes will be prepared 
and available on the NTP Web site or upon request.

Request for Comments

    Both written and oral public input on the agenda topics is invited. 
Written comments received in response to this notice will be posted on 
the NTP Web site. Persons submitting written comments should include 
their name, affiliation (if applicable), and sponsoring organization 
(if any) with the document. Time is allotted during the meeting for 
presentation of oral comments and each organization is allowed one time 
slot per public comment period. At least 7 minutes will be allotted for 
each speaker, and if time permits, may be extended up to 10 minutes at 
the discretion of the chair. Registration for oral comments will also 
be available on-site, although time allowed for presentation by on-site 
registrants may be less than for pre-registered speakers and will be 
determined by the number of persons who register at the meeting.
    Persons registering to make oral comments are asked to do so 
through the online registration form (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/7441) 
and to send a copy of their statement to Dr. White (see ADDRESSES 
above) by June 17, 2009, to enable review by SACATM, NICEATM-ICCVAM, 
and NIEHS/NTP staff prior to the meeting. Written statements can 
supplement and may expand the oral presentation. If registering on-site 
and reading from written text, please bring 40 copies of the statement 
for distribution and to supplement the record.

Background Information on ICCVAM, NICEATM, and SACATM

    ICCVAM is an interagency committee composed of representatives from 
15 Federal regulatory and research agencies that use, generate, or 
disseminate toxicological information. ICCVAM conducts technical 
evaluations of new, revised, and alternative methods with regulatory 
applicability and promotes the development, scientific validation, 
regulatory acceptance, implementation, and national and international 
harmonization of new, revised, and alternative toxicological test 
methods that more accurately assess the safety and hazards of chemicals 
and products and that refine, reduce, and replace animal use. The 
ICCVAM Authorization Act of 2000 [42 U.S.C. 285l-3] established ICCVAM 
as a permanent interagency committee of the NIEHS under NICEATM. 
NICEATM administers ICCVAM and provides scientific and operational 
support for ICCVAM-related activities. NICEATM and ICCVAM work 
collaboratively to evaluate new and improved test methods applicable to 
the needs of U.S. Federal agencies. Additional information about ICCVAM 
and NICEATM can be found on their Web site (http://iccvam.niehs.nih.gov).
    SACATM was established in response to the ICCVAM Authorization Act 
[Section 285l-3(d)] and is composed of scientists from the public and 
private sectors. SACATM advises ICCVAM, NICEATM, and the Director of 
the NIEHS and NTP regarding statutorily mandated duties of ICCVAM and 
activities of NICEATM. SACATM provides advice on priorities and 
activities related to the development, validation, scientific review, 
regulatory acceptance, implementation, and national and international 
harmonization of new, revised, and alternative toxicological test 
methods. Additional information about SACATM, including the charter, 
roster, and records of past meetings, can be found at http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/167.

    Dated: April 22, 2009.
John R. Bucher,
Associate Director, National Toxicology Program.
[FR Doc. E9-9845 Filed 4-28-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P