BTS Skills Gap training modules
The draft timetable of training modules for 2025 and 2026 within the BTS Skills Gap Initiative is shown below.
The 2025 training modules will be presented by experts from industry, academia and regulatory authorities, and are intended provide more in-depth training in areas of interest. The first training module will also be repeated this year.
Registration for each module is open, with a registration cost of £250 per module. A certificate of attendance will be provided on completion of a module.
Please note that timings and content detail may be subject to change. Modules have a registration limit, and also require a minimum number of participants to go ahead.
For further information, please contact meetings@thebts.org
| Core Module 1 (repeat) | Introduction to the principles of regulatory toxicology: present and future |
| This introductory module takes a critical approach to the conduct and interpretation of toxicity studies in light of risk assessment, emphasising the need to employ a flexible approach in order to maximise understanding of toxicity and relevance to human risk assessment across different industry sectors and regulatory principles.
The module will be delivered as six 2-hour webinars in June and July 2025, with an in‑person workshop to be held in London in September 2025. Delegates will have access to recordings of all webinars. Webinar 1 INTRODUCTION TO REGULATORY TOXICOLOGY Overview of regulatory toxicology, its aims and purpose – Charlotte Thorpe, HSE Overview of hazard and risk assessment, including classification and labelling – Dr Susy Brescia, HSE Summary of the current situation and potential future changes in regard to animal testing and NAMs – Dr Camilla Alexander-White, RSC Q&A session – All speakers Webinar 2 ACUTE TOXICITY, IRRITATION & SENSITISATION Acute oral and dermal toxicity studies – Hayley Parker, Labcorp Acute inhalation toxicity – Dr Jo Kilgour, Mereside Toxicology Consulting Irritation & sensitisation studies – Claire Elliott, Penman Consulting Q&A session – All speakers Webinar 3 GENOTOXICITY Genotoxicity studies: introduction, general principles – Dr Katherine Chapman, Swansea University The use of (Q)SAR as a predictor of genotoxicity – Dr Alex Cayley, Lhasa Limited Mechanisms of genotoxicity, implications for risk assessment – Dr Paul Fowler, FStox Q&A session – All speakers Webinar 4 REPEATED DOSE TOXICITY & CARCINOGENICITY Repeated dose toxicity: general principles – Dr Meera Cush, Ramboll Carcinogenicity studies – Helen-Marie Dunmore, Certara Pathological findings – Dr Cheryl Scudamore, RSA Q&A session – All speakers Webinar 5 DART & Endocrine Disruptors Introduction to developmental and reproductive toxicology studies – Dr Hollie Blunt, Sequani Overview of endocrine disruption – Dr Jason Manton (Toxiqua) Use (and potential future use) of NAMs in repeated dose toxicity and DART – Dr Matthew Dent (Unilever) Q&A session – All speakers Webinar 6 ADME / TOXICOKINETICS Overview of ADME / toxicokinetics – Alex Gledhill, ERM Overview of in vitro methods of metabolism & absorption – Katherine Knowles, Syngenta Introduction to PBPK modelling – Dr Ciarán Fisher, GSK Q&A session – All speakers Workshop REGULATORY TOXICOLOGY: CASE STUDIES Delegates will be provided with a number of regulatory toxicology case studies prior to the Workshop. Case studies will be discussed by delegates in small groups in the Workshop, with guidance from experienced regulatory toxicologists, and in a plenary session. |
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| Core Module 2 | PBPK Modelling |
| Webinars: March/April 2025
· Introduction to PBPK modelling · Hands-on training session · Population variability, transporters, in vitro biokinetics · Hands-on training session · Agrochemical, pharmaceutical and consumer products industry case studies · Regulatory perspectives; open-source and commercial tools The BTS Skills Gap Initiative Advisory Board and Steering Committee thank Certara for supporting this module. |
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| Core Module 3 | Genotoxicity |
| Webinars including interactive elements (w/c 14th July 2025)
· Introduction to genotoxicity; modes of action, in vitro methods and new developments · In vivo methods and the 3Rs · Quantitative and qualitative assessment of genotoxicity data · New Approach Methodologies in genotoxicity, including in silico and organ on a chip models · The regulatory perspective (1); case studies covering CLP classification, agrochemicals and REACH · The regulatory perspective (2); case studies pharmaceuticals and cosmetics |
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| Core Module 4 | (Q)SAR |
| Webinars
· What are (Q)SAR models and how do they work? 25th September 2025 · Considerations when building useful (Q)SAR models: 29th October 2025 · Applying (Q)SAR models in decision-making workflows: 19th November 2025 · What next for (Q)SAR modelling? 12th December 2025 In-person workshop: 21st January, 2026 (Leeds) |
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| Core Module 5 | Developmental & Reproductive Toxicology |
| Webinars: November / December 2025
· Introduction to DART and its regulatory assessment · DART testing for pharmaceuticals · DART testing for chemicals · Practicalities of DART assessment · Regulatory requirements for chemicals and pharmaceuticals · The current and future application of NAMs in DART assessment · Paediatrics |
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| Supplementary Module 1 | Ecotoxicology & Environmental Safety Assessment |
| Webinar 1 – Introduction: general principles and regulatory context Tuesday 22 April, 9.30 – 11.30 am Overview of ecotoxicology studies – Luigi Margiotta-Casaluci, King’s College London Aquatic and sediment organisms (including bioaccumulation) – Rachel Benstead, Fera Science Ltd. Avian and wild mammals – Nicola Dennis, TSG Webinar 2 Overview of ecotoxicology studies Non-target arthropods and soil organisms – Rebecca Strong, HSE Chemicals Regulation Division Pollinators – Liz Collison, Corteva Agriscience Non-target organisms for endocrine disruptor testing and assessment – Emma Danby, Scymaris Webinar 3 Use of NAMs in regulatory ecotoxicology Overview of current in vitro, invertebrate and eleutheroembryo methods – Natalie Burden, NC3Rs Computational approaches including QSARs and cross species extrapolation – Mark Cronin, Liverpool John Moores University Brief introduction to Next Generation Risk Assessment – Claudia Rivetti, Unilever Webinar 4 Overview of environmental fate and behaviour Hydrolysis, photolysis Fate assessment/modelling (including derivation of PECs/EECs) – George Mahoney, Syngenta Webinar 5 Environmental risk assessment Pesticides – Melissa Reed, HSE Chemicals Regulation Division UK REACH – John Crosse, Environment Agency Pharmaceuticals – Richard Murray-Smith, Regulatory Science Associates In-person workshop, London Claudia Rivetti & Emilia Gattas, Unilever |
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| Supplementary Module 2 | Regulatory Risk Assessment |
| Webinars: May/June 2025
· Regulatory risk assessment (human and veterinary pharmaceuticals) · Regulatory risk assessment (REACH) · Regulatory risk assessment (cosmetics) · Virtual Workshop: comparison of risk assessment approaches under different regulatory regimes |
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