[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 243 (Friday, December 18, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 79051]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-31832]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of 
Alternative Methods Communities of Practice Webinar on Fundamentals of 
Using Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship Models and Read-
across Techniques in Predictive Toxicology; Notice of Public Webinar; 
Registration Information

SUMMARY: The Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of 
Alternative Methods (ICCVAM) announces a public webinar ``Fundamentals 
of Using Quantitative Structure--Activity Relationship Models and Read-
Across Techniques in Predictive Toxicology.'' The webinar is organized 
on behalf of ICCVAM by the National Toxicology Program Interagency 
Center for the Evaluation Alternative Toxicological Methods (NICEATM) 
and hosted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) 
National Center for Computational Toxicology (NCCT). Interested persons 
may participate via Adobe[supreg] ConnectTM. Time is 
allotted for questions from the audience.

DATES: Webinar: January 26, 2016, 1 p.m. to approximately 2:30 p.m. 
Eastern Standard Time (EST).
    Registration for Webinar: December 18, 2015 until January 26, 2016 
at 2:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Webinar Web page: http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/commprac-2016.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Warren S. Casey, Director, 
NICEATM; email: [email protected]; telephone: (919) 316-4729.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Background: ICCVAM promotes the development and validation of 
toxicity testing methods that protect human health and the environment 
while replacing, reducing, or refining animal use. ICCVAM also provides 
guidance to test method developers and facilitates collaborations that 
promote the development of new test methods. To address these goals, 
ICCVAM is organizing a webinar on ``Fundamentals of Using Quantitative 
Structure--Activity Relationship Models and Read-across Techniques in 
Predictive Toxicology.''
    Many commercial and environmental chemicals lack toxicity data 
necessary for users and risk assessors to make informed decisions about 
their potential health effects. Computational methods use data about 
structure, properties, and toxicity from tested chemicals to make 
predictions about the characteristics of untested chemicals. These 
include quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models, 
which predict the activities of chemicals with unknown properties by 
relating them to properties of known chemicals, and read-across, which 
uses toxicity data from a known (source) chemical to predict toxicity 
for another (target) chemical, usually but not always on the basis of 
structural similarity. Predictions made using these methods about 
toxicity of untested chemicals can help set priorities for future in 
vitro or in vivo testing, ensuring that the most important hazards are 
characterized first and that testing resources are used efficiently.
    The ICCVAM webinar will feature presentations by two experts in the 
development and application of QSAR models and read-across techniques. 
Alex Tropsha, Ph.D., associate dean for pharmacoinformatics and data 
science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will 
discuss fundamentals of QSAR models. Louis (Gino) Scarano, Ph.D., of 
the EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, will describe 
read-across techniques and discuss the regulatory applications of QSAR 
models and read-across techniques.
    Webinar and Registration: This webinar is open to the public with 
time scheduled for questions by attendees following each presentation. 
Registration for the webinar is required and is open from December 18, 
2015, through 2:30 p.m. on January 26, 2016. A link to registration is 
available at http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/commprac-2016. Registrants 
will receive instructions on how to access and participate in the 
webinar in the email confirming their registration.
    The preliminary agenda is available at http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/commprac-2016. Interested individuals are encouraged to visit this Web 
page to stay abreast of the most current webinar information.
    Individuals with disabilities who need accommodation to participate 
in this event should contact Ms. LaCresha Styles at phone: (919) 541-
3282 or email: [email protected]. TTY users should contact the 
Federal TTY Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Requests should be made at 
least five business days in advance of the event.
    Background Information on ICCVAM and NICEATM: ICCVAM is an 
interagency committee composed of representatives from 15 federal 
regulatory and research agencies that require, use, generate, or 
disseminate toxicological and safety testing information. The ICCVAM 
Authorization Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 285l-3) establishes ICCVAM as a 
permanent interagency committee of the National Institute of 
Environmental Health Sciences and provides the authority for ICCVAM's 
involvement in activities relevant to the development of new and 
revised toxicological tests.
    ICCVAM conducts technical evaluations of new, revised, and 
alternative test methods and testing strategies with regulatory 
applicability and promotes the scientific validation and regulatory 
acceptance of test methods that both more accurately assess the safety 
and hazards of chemicals and products and replace, reduce, or refine 
(enhance animal well-being and lessen or avoid pain and distress) 
animal use. ICCVAM acts to ensure that new and revised test methods are 
validated to meet the needs of federal agencies, to increase the 
efficiency and effectiveness of federal agency test method review, and 
to optimize utilization of scientific expertise outside the federal 
government. Additional information about ICCVAM can be found at http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/iccvam.
    NICEATM administers ICCVAM, provides scientific and operational 
support for ICCVAM activities, and conducts analyses and evaluations 
and coordinates independent validation studies on novel and high-
priority alternative testing approaches. NICEATM and ICCVAM work 
collaboratively to evaluate new and improved test methods and 
strategies applicable to the needs of U.S. federal agencies. NICEATM 
and ICCVAM welcome the public nomination of new, revised, and 
alternative test methods and strategies for validation studies and 
technical evaluations. Additional information about NICEATM can be 
found at http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/niceatm.

     Dated: December 15, 2015.
John R. Bucher,
Associate Director, National Toxicology Program.
[FR Doc. 2015-31832 Filed 12-17-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4140-01-P