UL Environment, a division of UL (Underwriters Laboratories), have announced the launch of ReachAcross™ software a chemical assessment tool that helps companies meet REACH chemical regulations and reduce the need for animal testing.
Reach 2018 registration deadlines
The software provides the objective computational approach of a quantitative structure-activity relationship model (QSAR) with the accuracy of read-across, to help companies meet chemical regulations and reduce the need for animal testing.
The software is specifically designed to help companies meet REACH 2018 registration deadlines, which requires that companies register chemicals that they manufacture or import in volumes of 1 to 100 tonnes per year in Europe.
Typically, companies conduct animal testing to fulfill the registration data requirements, which is time-intensive, costly and can pose ethical dilemmas. UL’s new tool eliminates the need for animal testing and can provide accurate data to multiple endpoints in minutes.
Analysing chemicals
The software works by analysing billions of pairs of chemicals and blends conventional read-across principles with machine learning approaches for a scalable and generally-applicable model of health endpoints, such as skin sensitiation, acute oral toxicity, acute eye irritation, acute dermal irritation, acute dermal toxicity and mutagenicity.
REACHAcross™ software’s instance-based learning leverages combined toxicology and chemical data from more than a half million compounds and will grow in capabilities as more data is added.
“UL Environment is introducing a disruptive new tool in the field of chemical compliance software with REACHAcross™,” said Alberto Uggetti, Vice President and General Manager, UL Environment. “While there are traditional testing and alternative software tools for REACH compliance available, none combine machine learning techniques with billions of data endpoints, and provide REACH concordant reports. We anticipate quick market adoption by toxicologists, chemical manufacturers and formulators, and consultants.”
Edited from press release by Ella Donaldson.
