MatTek Corporation, Ashland, MA 01721, USA.
Altern Lab Anim. 2009 Dec;37(6):611-22. doi: 10.1177/026119290903700606.
MatTek Corporation has been working diligently for over 15 years to replace traditional animal-based toxicity and efficacy tests with alternative test methods based on human-cell derived, three-dimensional (3-D) tissue models. First discussed in detail by W.M.S. Russell and R.L. Burch 50 years ago in their book, The Principles of Humane Experimental Technique, and now fully integrated into forward-looking publications such as Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century: A Vision and a Strategy, the concept of replacing animals in test procedures with human cells and/or human cell-derived in vitro 3-D tissues is being embraced by the world's research scientists and toxicologists at an ever-increasing rate. 3-D in vitro models are being utilised not only for humanitarian reasons, but also because human 3-D tissues, in particular, produce more-physiologically relevant scientific data. Early on in MatTek's efforts to develop this alternative test method, senior management sought the assistance of experts within the in vitro testing and animal rights communities, to help define the specific in vitro human 3-D tissue products needed and navigate the regulatory landscape, especially in Europe where the replacement of animal-based testing with non-animal alternative test methods was well underway. MatTek was fortunate to receive that expert assistance on both fronts from Professor Michael Balls, who at that time was the newly-elected first director of ECVAM. In 1997, with the guidance and support of Professor Balls and others in the animal rights community, MatTek began the effort to validate several of its human 3-D tissue-based alternative test methods. Today, two MatTek human cell-derived 3-D tissue-based test methods are validated as full replacements for existing animal-based tests, with more tests in the validation pipeline. In addition, MatTek in vitro tissue models are in use worldwide by chemical, pharmaceutical and consumer product companies, as evidenced by citations in hundreds of patents and scientific articles from these industries. This article concludes with MatTek's thoughts on the direction that human 3-D tissue-based in vitro testing will take in the future.
马泰克公司（MatTek Corporation）在过去的 15 年中一直致力于用基于人体细胞的三维（3-D）组织模型替代传统的基于动物的毒性和功效测试方法。50 年前，W.M.S.拉塞尔（W.M.S. Russell）和 R.L.伯奇（R.L. Burch）在他们的著作《人道实验技术原理》中详细讨论了这一概念，现在这一概念已完全融入前瞻性出版物，如《21 世纪的毒性测试：愿景与策略》，世界范围内的研究科学家和毒理学家越来越多地接受用人体细胞和/或人体细胞衍生的体外 3-D 组织替代动物在测试程序中的概念。3-D 体外模型不仅出于人道主义原因而被利用，而且还因为人体 3-D 组织，特别是产生更具生理相关性的科学数据。在马泰克（MatTek）努力开发这种替代测试方法的早期，高级管理层寻求了体外测试和动物权利领域专家的协助，以帮助确定所需的特定体外人体 3-D 组织产品，并了解监管领域的情况，特别是在动物替代测试方法已经在欧洲全面展开的情况下。马泰克（MatTek）有幸在这两个方面都得到了迈克尔·鲍尔斯（Michael Balls）教授的专家协助，当时他是新当选的 ECVAM 第一任主任。1997 年，在鲍尔斯教授和动物权利领域其他人士的指导和支持下，马泰克（MatTek）开始努力验证其几种基于人体 3-D 组织的替代测试方法。如今，马泰克（MatTek）有两种基于人体细胞的 3-D 组织的测试方法已被验证为现有动物测试的完全替代品，还有更多的测试正在验证过程中。此外，马泰克（MatTek）的体外组织模型在全球范围内被化学、制药和消费品公司使用，从这些行业的数百项专利和科学文章的引用中可以证明这一点。本文最后总结了马泰克（MatTek）对未来人体 3-D 组织体外测试方向的思考。
