Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) awarded $259,274 to Millennium Bioresearch, Inc. (doing business as MB Research Laboratories) under the Environmental Health program (CFDA 93.113) for the period of July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. The project, titled "Egg LD50 Assay for Categorization" (ELDAC), focuses on developing an alternative toxicity testing method to replace mammalian-based acute oral toxicity assays currently used for regulatory compliance. The project aims to provide a cost-effective, accurate alternative to rat LD50 (median lethal dose) testing for determining acute oral toxicity categorization, which is required by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) for proper labeling and risk assessment of industrial chemicals, consumer products, and pesticides.

The ELDAC assay leverages a well-characterized embryonic system using eggs as a platform to assess chemical toxicity and generate data needed for regulatory classification without relying on expensive and complex alternatives such as zebrafish models or organ-on-chip technologies. This research directly addresses the federal government's interest in developing validated in vitro and alternative replacements for animal testing while maintaining the accuracy and affordability necessary for chemical registrants and product stewards to comply with international regulatory requirements for acute oral systemic toxicity assessment.