Multisitio 2

BRUSSELS, March 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — A major research project to shape regulation and policy on chemical safety without the use of animal testing has been launched with the aid of €19.3M funding from the European Commission under H2020 program. Led by the University of Birmingham and involving 15 European and US organisations, PrecisionTox aims to protect human health from the toxic effects of chemicals found in people’s homes, food and the environment.

The Precision Toxicology consortium will use genetics, genomics, metabolomics and the study of evolution to investigate the toxicity of hundreds of chemicals and explore how they disrupt the biological processes that are fundamental to health. Combined with law, these approaches will open up a new field of precision toxicology that will transform approaches to chemical safety management in the same way that precision medicine is informing healthcare. In particular, it is expected that precision toxicology will be instrumental in shaping policy and regulation of this field.

Crucially, the research will be carried out without using mammalian animal testing, focusing instead on non-sentient organisms such as fruit flies, water fleas, round worms and embryos of zebrafish and frogs.

The small size and fast development of these organisms allow chemical testing to be done rapidly. And because the genomes of all these organisms are decoded along with human genomes, many of these measurements are expected to reveal genetic and metabolic pathways shared with humans. Once these are understood, it will be possible to measure the effects of chemicals in non-sentient organisms and use that information to predict the likely effects in humans.

John Colbourne, of the University of Birmingham, leads PrecisionTox. He says: «Because humans share many genes with these organisms by evolution, we can use them to map the genetic and metabolic pathways that are also important for human health. This shared biology will help us understand how these genetic connections and interactions can be affected by chemicals in the environment – and that will help us better protect the health of all animals, including humans.»

By using non-sentient organisms, PrecisionTox is participating in a global effort to replace current animal experiments with more reliable tests to assess the health risks of chemicals worldwide.

The methods developed by the consortium will enable harmful chemicals to be classified as carcinogens, hormonal disrupters, neurotoxins and other disease-causing agents using reliable molecular toxicity measurements. This will offer a faster and cheaper alternative to animal testing that will help industry to design safer chemicals and also provide biomarkers of toxicity to detect and control harmful chemicals that are already in the environment.

Richard Fuller who founded Pure Earth and coauthored the 2017 Lancet Commission report on health and pollution, welcomes the project. He says: «Pollution accounts for one in nine deaths world-wide, yet there have been too few major initiatives to fingerprint the offending chemicals until now.»

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/precision-toxicology-consortium-aims-to-protect-human-health-from-effects-of-harmful-chemicals-301242595.html

SOURCE Altertox SRL

LONDON, March 9, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Businesses are becoming more sustainable and eco-minded than ever, but consumers want them to do even more and build sustainability into their core. Voucher Shares, the first UK voucher codes website to focus on sustainability, has done exactly that and is a shining light in the booming Voucher Codes industry.

Voucher Shares has a clear message to shoppers, ‘shop for good’. Voucher Shares lets shoppers save money on online shopping while also raising money for World Land Trust at no extra cost to the shopper.

Voucher Shares gives 5% of revenue to World Land Trust (the international conservation charity who they have been partners with since launch).

Voucher Shares shoppers are loyal, they know they can get the same codes on other sites but choose Voucher Shares because they want their shopping to benefit the planet.

25% of UK shoppers vowed to make ethical shopping decisions in early 2020 (according to a nationwide survey, conducted by Voucher Shares). According to The Independent this figure has grown during lockdown with 81% becoming increasingly concerned about environmental issues.

«We support a charity that conserves areas in the world that need it the most. Everyone understands how important conservation is. It benefits the environment and has a positive impact on climate change for future generations to come». Says Tanya Larsen, CEO, Co-Founder.

The site, which is home to thousands of brands, has a growing number of sustainable ones. To further promote sustainable shopping, Voucher Shares launched a Sustainable Products category in 2021 which gives sustainable brands extra promotion.

Sustainable shopping can be hard because it is spread out, which consumers do not have time for, so Voucher Shares is further investing in a Smart Search tool for sustainable and eco-friendly products.

«We did not just set out to be just a voucher codes website, we always set out to give something back, we have huge ambitions, we want to be a force for change». Says Miranda Coombes, COO, Co-Founder.

About Voucher Shares: Voucher Shares is part of Codes To Share limited and is based in the UK. VoucherShares.co.uk was launched at the end of 2019 as the first UK’s Green Voucher Codes website. The website offers discount codes, voucher codes and deals with thousands of retailers. Voucher Shares curates content and blogs around sustainability, putting it at the heart of everything it does. Voucher Shares users can also share codes and best deals with their friends to earn money. Simply register an account with Voucher Shares, share codes with your friends and earn when they shop. Voucher Shares moto is: Save, Share, Earn – One for You, one for the Planet.

World Land Trust (WLT) pioneered the concept of purchasing and protecting land for conservation, starting in 1989, and has, since then, funded ground-breaking habitat protection for more than 30 years, with an impressive track record of achievements. Sir David Attenborough is one of the WLT patrons, Britain’s best known and most loved Natural History Filmmaker. Sir David has supported the work of the WLT since its foundation in 1989 and became a WLT patron in 2003. Wildlife presenter, author and adventurer Steve Backshall; English cricketer and television personality, David Gower; and charismatic television presenter, spectacular wildlife photographer, author and wildlife expert, Chris Packham are also WLT patrons.
Donations to World Land Trust’s Action Fund enable WLT to act quickly, whenever and wherever urgent conservation action is needed. The Action Fund demonstrates the possibility and positivity of taking pre-emptive steps to protect these precious wildernesses, for nature, for us and for the future.

Media Contact

Anna Taylor, Voucher Shares, +44 2070972239, contact@vouchershares.co.uk

Twitter, Facebook

SOURCE Voucher Shares

• International Gas Union President Joe Kang today called for a sustainable and achievable energy transition.
• Electricity, natural gas, hydrogen, and the necessary infrastructure will be needed to help individual countries meet the UN Sustainable Development and Paris Goals.
• Continued calls for electricity-only pathways to Paris targets is a setup for failure on both Paris and the Sustainable Development Goals.

BARCELONA, Spain, March 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ – In a statement titled A Clean, Secure, and Affordable Energy Future requires Electricity, Gas, and Infrastructure, the IGU President writes that global debate about climate change and the role of energy was at a critical juncture. He is calling for an achievable, sustainable energy future, using «electrons, molecules and necessary infrastructure.»

Professor Kang’s comments follow last week’s CERAWeek 2021 virtual conference where heads of state, ministers and senior government officials, academia, NGO’s, energy industry and thought leaders shared their views on the energy and climate future.

A concern that emerged throughout the discussions is that the world is not on a path to meet the Paris Accord ambition of limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees C.

There is recognition that different nations face different challenges and have different means to achieve a pathway toward Paris. For billions of people in the developing world – with low CO2 per capita and low access to energy – there is no greater challenge than achieving affordable, secure and clean supply energy. In richer nations – with high CO2 per capita – resources and infrastructure are in place to accelerate decarbonisation.

«No justice will be served if achieving the Paris targets involves actions that stymie economic growth and prosperity, or that deny billions of people access to much-needed affordable energy and clean cooking fuels,» Professor Kang said.

«The International Gas Union calls on decision-makers to accept that a clean, secure, and affordable energy future requires electrons, molecules, and infrastructure. Let energy industry innovators compete to see how best this can be achieved.

About the International Gas Union

The International Gas Union (IGU) was founded in 1931 and is a global non-profit organisation aimed at promoting the political, technical and economic progress of the gas industry. The Union has more than 150 members worldwide on all continents, representing approximately 95% of the world gas market. www.igu.org

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/achievable-energy-future-requires-electricity-gas-and-infrastructure-301242980.html

SOURCE International Gas Union