Thomas Hartung

The main goal of my work is toward a paradigm shift in toxicity testing to improve public health. Due to my background as head of the European Center for the Validation of Alternative Methods of the European Commission (2002-2008), I am involved in the implementation of the 2007 NRC vision document “Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century – a vision and a strategy”. I have furthered the translation of concepts of evidence-based medicine to toxicology (evidence-based toxicology). This aims for systematic assessment of the quality of all tools for regulatory toxicology and the development of new approaches based on annotated pathways of toxicity (the Human Toxome).

I have a broad background in clinical and experimental pharmacology and toxicology documented in more than 450 publications. Previous work centered on the immune recognition of bacteria, including pyrogen testing, and the induced inflammatory response. In experimental and clinical approaches, the pharmacological modulation of these responses was studied. I have relocated to the US early 2009 and established beside the directorship for the Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT) a laboratory for developmental neurotoxicity research based on genomics and metabolomics the respective technologies were made available by a Thought-Leader Award from Agilent.

Honors and Awards

2001 Business Innovation Award of the region lake Konstanz for the development of an alternative pyrogen test

2002 RIVM Award at the World Conference on Animal Use and its Alternatives

2003 Environment Award of the Landesbausparkasse Baden-Wuertemberg

2004 Steinbeis Technology Transfer Award

2005 Paula and Richard von Hertwig-Preis for interdisciplinary collaboration

2006 US Society of Toxicology Enhancement of Animal Welfare Award

2009 Russell & Burch award of the Humane Society of the US

2010 Agilent Thought Leader award

2014 EuroGroup for Animals – Animal Welfare Award

2014 LUSH award: Lobbying Prize