Advice, Research, Education and Training in Established and Emerging Methodologies in Human Toxicology
The Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology (SCAHT) is a national competence centre and research infrastructure for regulatory toxicology based in Basel.
Our mission is to protect human health and contribute to a safer and healthier environment by advancing the science of human toxicology and translating it for regulatory use to benefit society. To reach this goal, the SCAHT promotes regulatory science, provides scientific expertise to regulatory toxicology and bridges between researchers and regulators. Complex research is translated into practical recommendations, measures and policies covering risk assessment, management and communciation.
About Us
The SCAHT team brings together experts dedicated to advancing human-relevant approaches in toxicology and risk assessment through interdisciplinary research, education, and collaboration. The centre is directed by Prof. Dr. med. Ellen Fritsche, an internationally recognised expert in developmental neurotoxicity and new approach methodologies.
You can find the full list of team members and their profiles here.
As a Swiss Article 15 Institution, SCAHT is funded by the Swiss Confederation supported by the Universities of Basel, Geneva, Lausanne and the FHNW School of Life Sciences. It collaborates closely with Swiss and international higher education and research institutions, the Swiss Centre for Applied Ecotoxicology (Ecotox Centre) and the national and cantonal as well as international authorities like the Federal Office for Public Health (FOPH), the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).
More information can be found here:
Management Board and Directorate
Research Group Leader Committee
Following an application by Prof. Denis Hochstrasser (University of Geneva) and Prof. Stephan Krähenbühl (University of Basel), the SCAHT was founded in 2009 to address gaps in applied toxicology research, consultation services, and training in Switzerland after the closure of the Swiss Institute of Toxicology. Financial support was provided by the Swiss Confederation with in-kind contributions from the Universities of Basel, Geneva and Lausanne.
In its first funding period (2009-2012), SCAHT consolidated its role as a national hub for human toxicology and risk assessment and strengthened Swiss presence in international toxicology under the founding Director Prof. Martin Wilks. In 2012, it was decided to form a foundation hosted by the University of Geneva, which was officially registered in 2014. SCAHT celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2019, and in 2020 the FHNW School of Life Sciences joined as a partner organisation.
Under the new director Prof. Ellen Fritsche, the centre continues to expand its national and international research networks, education programmes, and its contributions to regulatory toxicology. Particularly, SCAHT is committed to bring the newest developments in toxicology into regulatory practice.
The regulatory toxicologists at the SCAHT provides scientific expertise to support authorities in their risk assessment, management and communication activities. The Centre provides a link between researchers and regulators, helping to translate complex research findings into practical recommendations, measures and policies. SCAHT contributes to the regulatory use of established and new methods, such as in vivo, in vitro and in silico approaches, to tackle new challenges and generate human-relevant and mechanistic insights. SCAHT works in close collaboration with Swiss national authorities as well as leading international bodies such as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). Recent activities include active participation in the European Commission’s Human Health Working Group, contributing to the development of the European roadmap towards phasing out animal testing for chemical safety assessment.
The SCAHT’s regulatory toxicology research aims at filling an existing gap in Switzerland between academic scientific research and regulatory requirements addressing major human health problems of regulatory concern. It is structured into two complementary components: intramural integrative desktop research carried out within the SCAHT directorate in Basel, which focusses on data integration, mechanistic interpretation, regulatory translation, and strategic programme development. Second, the extramural, experimental wet-lab research, which is conducted by Swiss SCAHT partner institutions through targeted funding within a framework of a coordinated, 4-year research programme.
SCAHT’s education and training programme is designed to meet the diverse needs of graduate and continuing education for academia, regulatory agencies and industry. This includes the coordination of modules within the MSc Drug Science in Basel and the MAS Toxicology in Geneva, training for Swiss authorities and international actors. It also leads outreach initiatives to foster dialogue among scientists, regulators and the public.