Development of an in vitro co-culture model for evaluating the sensitising potential of industrial substances.

Every year, new chemical substances appear in the industrial field. It is becoming essential to identify such potentially sensitizing substances as early as possible. Developing tests for identifying the sensitising power of industrial products not only meets the requirements of the new European directives but is also essential for preventing occupational allergies. Occupational allergies caused by exposure of workers to chemical substances are a major occupational health problem. Such allergies concern a large number of trades and professions and a large number of sectors. The prevalence of such pathologies and the consequences that they might have on worker health make it necessary to recognise the substances in order to replace them with substitute substances and/or in order to identify them clearly by appropriate labelling.

This new study is going to seek to develop a method of co-culture between epithelial cells and dendritic cells of mice in order to improve the sensitivity of the test developed during a preceding study and so as to discriminate between skin sensitizers and respiratory sensitizers. Currently, few studies exist that address the latter category and developing an in-vitro test would satisfy the expectations of the new European directives, in particular in the context of the Classification, Labelling, Packaging (CLP) Regulation for chemical substances.

Validation of these methods will make it possible to detect new substances that are potentially sensitising and will thus limit the risks for workers.

Planned dissemination:
Publication in a scientific journal
Presentation at an immunotoxicology or allergology conference.