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Workshop Summary

Green chemistry is central to building a more sustainable and responsible future. While the green chemistry tool box includes powerful methods to assess efficiency, yield, and energy use, it still lacks robust, human-relevant tools to evaluate toxicity. Too often, toxicity assessment relies on outdated or overly simplistic metrics that fail to reflect real human and environmental health impacts.

In this workshop, Prof. Maertens will explore how nonanimal, new approach methodolgoies (NAMs) can fill this critical gap. By integrating in vitro, in silico, and AI-enabled approaches, NAMs provide faster, more accurate, and mechanistically informative insights into toxicity. These tools not only improve human relevance, but also allow chemists to design safer chemicals from the outset—making toxicology an integral part of green chemistry rather than an afterthought.

About the Speaker

Prof. Maertens is an Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing, where she leads the Green Toxicology Initiative. Her research combines computational modeling, advanced in vitro systems, and artificial intelligence to understand how chemicals perturb biological systems. Her work aims to support safer chemical design while reducing reliance on animal testing.

About the Animal-Free Workshop Series for Early-Career Researchers