Charles River and Sanofi Partner to Minimise Animal Testing

• Charles River Laboratories partners with Sanofi to launch Virtual Control Groups.

• The initiative aims to reduce animal usage in research by utilizing retrospective data.

Charles River Laboratories and Sanofi unveil their Virtual Control Groups (VCG) initiative. This collaboration marks a step towards reducing animal usage in research, aligning with the goals of Charles River’s Alternative Methods Advancement Project (AMAP).

A VCG is a digitally created entity, formulated from historical study data and complex statistical methods. While VCGs are not new to clinical trials, their application in preclinical research is pioneering. The initiative is set to replace selected control group animals with matched virtual counterparts, thereby minimizing the need for animal models.

Shannon Parisotto, Corporate Executive Vice President at Charles River, highlighted the company’s capacity to integrate toxicology science with machine learning to enhance the adoption of VCGs in nonclinical research. “By leveraging our extensive database of study parameters, we can provide clients with meaningful results while reducing the number of control group animals,” Parisotto stated.

The collaboration between Charles River and Sanofi is currently in the pilot phase, focusing on nonclinical toxicology programs. Philippe Detilleux, Global Head of Preclinical Safety at Sanofi, expressed enthusiasm for the project: “We have an incredible opportunity to advance sustainable science by reducing our reliance on animal models, and VCGs are one way in which we are utilizing technology to make progress in this area.”