Flatworms help track down carcinogens!

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About the research

Before a new product can enter the market, it must be tested on potentially carcinogenic substances. To verify this, tests are mainly carried out on mice or rats. Jan-Pieter Ploem and his colleagues are working on a new, faster test method with flatworms, that will hopefully help save a lot of mice. 

Health
Cancer
Jan-Pieter Ploem
UHasselt

The field of toxicology has been an interest of Jan-Pieter Ploem for a long time. The understanding of how a compound can cause different responses is quite thrilling in his opinion. He researches the effects of different carcinogens in order to create a system that can, by using flatfworms, identify new hazardous compounds before they enter the market. This allows him to combine toxicology with his drive to reduce and refine the use of test animals in the field.

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