SenzaGen has been awarded a new grant worth 1.5 MSEK from the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials (RIFM), a leading international research institute in fragrance safety. The assignment involves evaluating the GARD®skin Dose-Response assay to determine the dose levels at which fragrance ingredients may cause skin allergies upon when exposure to sunlight, a phenomenon known as photosensitization. The testing will begin in Q2 2025 and continue throughout the year.
The new assignment builds on the long-standing collaboration between the parties and aims to further develop the GARD® technology in the area of photosensitization. The ambition is to identify substances that can trigger allergic skin reactions when exposed to sunlight (photoallergens) and distinguish them from substances that cause temporary irritation (photoirritants). This is a scientifically challenging area with no validated methods currently available. The project holds strategic importance for the company.
"Together with RIFM, we look forward to driving innovation in a field where the need for alternative methods is high. Our GARD® technology has the potential to make important contributions also in this area, and we are very pleased to deepen our collaboration with RIFM through this exciting project," says Peter Nählstedt, CEO and President of SenzaGen.
RIFM is an international research institute responsible for safety assessments of fragrance ingredients used in consumer products worldwide. Their evaluations help companies understand and manage the safe use of fragrance materials.
"Building on our previous work, we aim to better understand how the GARD® method can be applied to identify photoallergens and differentiate them from photoirritants - a scientifically and industrially relevant challenge we hope to find a solution for," says Gretchen Ritacco, MS, Principal Scientist, Dermatotoxicology at RIFM.
About RIFM
Established in 1966, the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials (RIFM) generates, analyzes, evaluates, and distributes data to provide a scientific basis for the safe use of fragrances. RIFM has compiled the most comprehensive, worldwide source of toxicology data, literature, and general information on fragrance and flavor raw materials. RIFM's Fragrance Ingredient Safety Assessment program draws from its comprehensive database of over 80,000 references and approximately 200,000 human health and environmental studies.
RIFM assesses the safety of fragrance ingredients by the most current, internationally accepted guidelines-and has done so since its founding. The Expert Panel for Fragrance Safety, an independent, international team of researchers and academics with no ties to the fragrance industry, reviews all of RIFM's work before RIFM submits it for peer-reviewed publication in a reputable scientific journal. RIFM makes all of its published, peer-reviewed work-current and historical-available for free at fragrancematerialsafetyresource.elsevier.com.
Contacts
Peter Nählstedt, President and CEO, SenzaGen AB
Email: peter.nahlstedt@senzagen.com | Mobile: 0700-23 44 31
RIFM
Gary Sullivan, Marketing & Communications Manager, RIFM
Email: gsullivan@rifm.org
About us
SenzaGen is a corporate group that aims to be a leader in in vitro science and testing, driving the transition from animal testing to methods better suited to reflect human biology. The Company provides high-performance, non-animal test methods and innovation and consulting services based on state-of-the-art technology. Non-animal methods are more effective, more accurate and less expensive than traditional animal-based methods while also helping to reduce the number of laboratory animals. The Company has a growth strategy centered around continued commercialization of its proprietary GARD® and VitroScreen ORA® test platforms, expansion of its test portfolio and evaluation of acquisition opportunities of profitable and growing companies with complementary offerings. SenzaGen has its headquarters and GLP-certified laboratory in Lund, Sweden and subsidiaries in the US and Italy. For more information, please visit: www.senzagen.com.
SenzaGen is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm First North (ticker: SENZA). FNCA Sweden AB is the company's Certified Adviser.
