Dementia and cancer are becoming increasingly prevalent in Western countries. In the last two decades, research focused on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and cancer, in particular, breast cancer (BC) and prostate cancer (PC), has been substantially funded both in Europe and worldwide. While scientific research outcomes have contributed to increase our understanding of the disease etiopathology, still the prevalence of these chronic degenerative conditions remains very high across the globe. By definition, no model is perfect. In particular, animal models of AD, BC, and PC have been and still are traditionally used in basic/fundamental, translational, and preclinical research to study human disease mechanisms, identify new therapeutic targets, and develop new drugs. However, animals do not adequately model some essential features of human disease; therefore, they are often unable to pave the way to the development of drugs effective in human patients. The rise of new technological tools and models in life science, and the increasing need for multidisciplinary approaches have encouraged many interdisciplinary research initiatives. With considerable funds being invested in biomedical research, it is becoming pivotal to define and apply indicators to monitor the contribution to innovation and impact of funded research. Here, we discuss some of the issues underlying translational failure in AD, BC, and PC research, and describe how indicators could be applied to retrospectively measure outputs and impact of funded biomedical research.

The aim of the Thyroid Validation Study, coordinated by EURL ECVAM and involving EU-NETVAL laboratories, was to validate selected non-animal methods for the identification of chemicals that can potentially disrupt the thyroid hormone system in humans. The validation study was organized in two parts: Part 1 was to assess method performance and develop standard operating procedures, where needed, and Part 2 was to assess the mechanistic relevance of the methods using a set of validation chemicals. This paper describes the stepwise process to select this validation set of chemicals, mainly based on extensive literature review and expert judgment elicitation to identify chemicals for which there was evidence to show their (lack of) ability to perturb the thyroid hormone signaling mechanisms or modes of action covered by the methods. A unique contribution of the study lies in its mechanistic coverage of molecular targets within the thyroid gland but also regulatory mechanisms in peripheral tissues, reflecting a multifaceted perspective on thyroid hormone action. The validation set consisted of 30 chemicals, providing a balanced representation across a broad chemical space and offering insights into the mechanistic relevance of the selected methods. Once validated, these methods will contribute to advancing the identification and evaluation of endocrine disruptors, informing regulatory decisions, and promoting alternative testing strategies. Plain language summaryThis manuscript provides important insights that will allow the progression of non-animal methods for thyroid hormone disruption and their use in the regulatory context. The selection of chemicals used in a validation study is of paramount importance and will impact on the overall performance of the methods being validated. The selection approach used is described in detail and provides a relevant and useful guide for possible future validation studies.

The aim of the Thyroid Validation Study, coordinated by EURL ECVAM and involving EU-NETVAL laboratories, was to validate selected non-animal methods for the identification of chemicals that can potentially disrupt the thyroid hormone system in humans. The validation study was organized in two parts: Part 1 was to assess method performance and develop standard operating procedures, where needed, and Part 2 was to assess the mechanistic relevance of the methods using a set of validation chemicals. This paper describes the stepwise process to select this validation set of chemicals, mainly based on extensive literature review and expert judgment elicitation to identify chemicals for which there was evidence to show their (lack of) ability to perturb the thyroid hormone signaling mechanisms or modes of action covered by the methods. A unique contribution of the study lies in its mechanistic coverage of molecular targets within the thyroid gland but also regulatory mechanisms in peripheral tissues, reflecting a multifaceted perspective on thyroid hormone action. The validation set consisted of 30 chemicals, providing a balanced representation across a broad chemical space and offering insights into the mechanistic relevance of the selected methods. Once validated, these methods will contribute to advancing the identification and evaluation of endocrine disruptors, informing regulatory decisions, and promoting alternative testing strategies. Plain language summaryThis manuscript provides important insights that will allow the progression of non-animal methods for thyroid hormone disruption and their use in the regulatory context. The selection of chemicals used in a validation study is of paramount importance and will impact on the overall performance of the methods being validated. The selection approach used is described in detail and provides a relevant and useful guide for possible future validation studies.