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The SK-NETVAL scientific team from the Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology at the Center of Experimental Medicine of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (CEM SAS, v. v. i.) recently received the prestigious Michael Balls Award 2025 for the best scientific article published in the renowned journal ATLA – Alternatives to Laboratory Animals.

The awarded article, titled “Development of Sensitive In Vitro Protocols for the Biocompatibility Testing of Medical Devices and Pharmaceuticals Intended for Contact with the Eyes: Acute Irritation and Phototoxicity Assessment,” describes the development of in vitro test methods for evaluating eye irritation using a reconstructed human cornea model.

“In addition to testing the acute irritancy and biocompatibility of medical devices and pharmaceuticals, the study also focuses on assessing light-induced effects of substances on the cornea, known as ocular phototoxicity,” explains Dr. Helena Kanďárová, head of the awarded team.

The publication is the result of research in the field of biocompatibility of medical devices supported by APVV and VEGA grants under the leadership of Dr. Helena Kanďárová.

At the beginning of 2025, Ing. Peter Pôbiš, a doctoral student at CEM and first author of the article, also accepted the “Best Publication Award” on behalf of the SK-NETVAL team from the Society of Toxicology (SOT) during its annual congress in Orlando, USA.

Both prestigious awards are evidence of the high scientific standard, innovative approach, and growing international recognition of the research conducted at the Centre of Experimental Medicine of the Slovak Academy of Sciences.

The Michael Balls Award is presented by the British National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs). The award is named after Professor Michael Balls, a pioneer in alternative methods and founder of the journal ATLA. Receiving this award represents significant international recognition of the research activities at the Slovak Academy of Sciences and supports further development of alternative testing methods in line with the 3Rs principles (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement).