On October 7, 2024, EURL ECVAM (European Union Reference Laboratory for alternatives to animal testing) organized the BioMedModelHub (BiMMoH) workshop. EURL ECVAM is a key institution of the European Commission dedicated to promoting and validating animal-free testing methods. The workshop brought together experts from academia, industry, and regulatory authorities and was part of a project to develop an automated database that collects and structures information on human biology-based models for biomedical research.
BiMMoH uses machine learning techniques to analyze scientific publications, identify models with high translational potential, and thus support the reduction of animal testing. The main goal is to create an accessible resource that promotes the use of human-relevant models and improves their clinical transferability. The database targets a broad user group — from researchers to project evaluators and funding agencies — providing easy access to model-related information across various disease areas.
During the workshop, the project’s current goals, requirements, and a database prototype were presented. Elena Kromidas shared her perspective as a project evaluator and provided valuable feedback on the functionality and user experience of the prototype. The discussions focused on understanding potential users’ needs, exploring possible improvements, and addressing challenges associated with using the database.
