The Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing is an academic center affiliated with the Division of Toxicological Sciences in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences of the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.

 

Johns Hopkins School of Public Health

Research Grants 1984-1985

In Vitro Methods for Evaluating Toxicity to Skin Contact Sensitivity

Arthur M. Dannenberg, MD, PhD
Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland

Arthur M. Dannenberg Jr., MD, PhD, professor of environmental health sciences at the Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, is examining the possibility of using half-inch square pieces of rabbit and human skin to determine the degree of injury caused by allergens, toxic chemicals, and other hazards.

Injured cells release biological mediators, chemicals that attract white blood cells to repair the damage. By measuring the amounts of mediators released, Dr. Dannenberg may be able to estimate the degree of damage done by each toxicant.