Toxfinder

Toxfinder is a Portuguese life-sciences company that develops and deploys in vitro toxicity models for safety assessment. It is a spin-off of the University of Coimbra and is based at BIOCANT Park in Cantanhede, Portugal. The company positions itself as a specialist provider of predictive in vitro toxicity screening, aiming to help clients in the cosmetic, toiletry, bio/pharmaceutical, chemical, food, pesticide, nutraceutical and biotechnology industries understand the safety profiles of new products quickly and cost-effectively. Toxfinder's scientific approach rests on the principle that analysing and integrating multiple endpoints across different in vitro cell models can reveal mechanisms of general and organ-specific toxicity, and that these data can be used to build highly predictive models of human toxicity. Its service portfolio includes predictive toxicity assays such as respiratory toxicity, skin irritation (TG439), skin corrosion (TG431), dermal absorption (TG428), acute phototoxicity (TG432), skin sensitisation using proprietary technology, immunotoxicity, cytotoxicity, mitochondrial toxicity and endoplasmic reticulum toxicity. It also offers bioscreening services in human cell lines, focused mainly on inflammation and oncobiology, including anti-inflammatory, pro-inflammatory and anticancer molecule research. The company's first proprietary product, SENSITIZER PREDICTOR, is an in vitro alternative test that identifies the sensitisation potential of chemicals and cosmetic ingredients. Toxfinder states that the technology offers ethical and legal advantages and is more economic and less time-consuming than current animal tests, and that it has been submitted to the European Centre for Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM). The company has also indicated a product roadmap that includes a complementary test for estimating sensitizer potency and a panel of tests for respiratory and nanotoxicity evaluation. Toxfinder is strongly committed to the European REACH regulation and to reducing the use of animals in toxicological screening. Its multidisciplinary team has received national and international awards, and the company has been active in Portuguese and European entrepreneurship and biotechnology events, including BIOSPAIN 2014. Publicly available information about the company is relatively limited, and details such as its exact founding year, ownership structure and current executive leadership are not confirmed in the supplied evidence.

Toxfinder is a Portuguese life-sciences company that emerged as a spin-off of the University of Coimbra. It is located at BIOCANT Park in Cantanhede, Portugal, a biotechnology and life-sciences park in the central region of the country. The company was built around the idea that integrating multiple endpoints from different in vitro cell models can be used to understand mechanisms of general and organ-specific toxicity and to create highly predictive models of human toxicity. From its early years, Toxfinder focused on the development and deployment of cutting-edge in vitro models for toxicity assessment. Its work has been recognised with national and international awards. Publicly available news items on the company's website indicate that in 2012 an in vitro toxicity test associated with the company won an entrepreneurship competition and that ideas with great potential were awarded. In October 2012, the company highlighted media coverage of a groundbreaking animal-testing alternative for skin sensitivity. In September 2014, Toxfinder participated in BIOSPAIN 2014, a major Spanish and European biotechnology event. In November 2014, Professor Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was present at an Innovation and Entrepreneurship Awards ceremony referenced on the company's website. Toxfinder's mission is closely tied to the European REACH regulation. The company actively seeks to reduce the use of animals in toxicological screening and provides in vitro toxicity screening services designed to support the pharmaceutical, chemical, cosmetic, food, pesticide and biotechnology industries. Its service offering includes predictive toxicity assays for respiratory toxicity, skin irritation (TG439), skin corrosion (TG431), dermal absorption (TG428), acute phototoxicity (TG432), skin sensitisation using proprietary technology, immunotoxicity, cytotoxicity, mitochondrial toxicity and endoplasmic reticulum toxicity. It also provides bioscreening services in human cell lines, mainly in the fields of inflammation and oncobiology, covering anti-inflammatory, pro-inflammatory and anticancer molecules. The company's first proprietary product, SENSITIZER PREDICTOR, is an in vitro alternative test that identifies the sensitisation potential of chemicals and cosmetic ingredients. Toxfinder states that the technology is more economic and less time-consuming than current animal tests and that it has been submitted to the European Centre for Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM). The company has also stated that it is optimising a complementary test to estimate the potency of identified sensitizers, and that its product roadmap includes a panel of tests for respiratory and nanotoxicity evaluation. Toxfinder describes itself as having a multidisciplinary and skilled team. It serves clients in the cosmetic, toiletry, bio/pharmaceutical, chemical, food, pesticide, nutraceutical and biotechnology industries. Beyond the information published on its website and its Wikidata entry, which describes it as a company in Cantanhede, Portugal, relatively little is publicly documented about the company's ownership, exact founding date, financial history or current leadership.

• Media coverage of a groundbreaking animal-testing alternative for skin sensitivity highlighted on the company website.

• Ideas with great potential awarded, as reported on the company website.

• An in vitro toxicity test wins an entrepreneurship competition.

• Toxfinder participates in BIOSPAIN 2014.

• Prof. Doutor Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa present at the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Awards ceremony.

Specialist provider of predictive in vitro toxicity models and alternative testing services, committed to animal-testing reduction and REACH compliance.

• SENSITIZER PREDICTOR

  First proprietary in vitro alternative test that identifies the sensitisation potential of chemicals and cosmetic ingredients; submitted to ECVAM.

• Predictive toxicity assays

  In vitro assays including respiratory toxicity, skin irritation (TG439), skin corrosion (TG431), dermal absorption (TG428), acute phototoxicity (TG432), skin sensitisation, immunotoxicity, cytotoxicity, mitochondrial toxicity and endoplasmic reticulum toxicity.

• Bioscreening services

  Screening of safety profiles and therapeutic potential of new molecules in human cell lines, mainly in inflammation and oncobiology, covering anti-inflammatory, pro-inflammatory and anticancer molecules.

1. 1Toxfinder - development and deployment of cutting edge in vitro models for toxicity assessmenttoxfinder.pt
2. 2Toxfinder - About ustoxfinder.pt
3. 3Toxfinder - Services - Predictive toxicity - Bioscreeningtoxfinder.pt
4. 4Toxfinder - Products - SENSITIZER PREDICTORtoxfinder.pt
5. 5Toxfinder (Portugal) - Wikidatawikidata.org