This award recognizes an SOT member for contributions made to the advancement of toxicological science through the development and application of methods that replace, refine, or reduce the need for experimental animals. This award recognizes outstanding/significant contributions made by SOT members to the scientifically sound and responsible use of animals in research. This award also serves to recognize member contributions to the public awareness of the importance of animals in toxicology research. The achievement recognized may be either a seminal piece of work or a long-term contribution to toxicological science and animal welfare.
For his pioneering work in human-relevant liver toxicology, leadership in developing integrated new approach methodologies (NAMs), and sustained commitment to advancing animal-free safety assessment of chemicals, Prof. Mathieu Vinken, PharmD, PhD, is the 2026 recipient of the SOT Enhancement of Animal Welfare Award.
Dr. Vinken earned his master’s in pharmaceutical sciences in 2001 and his doctorate in pharmaceutical sciences in 2006 from Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in Belgium, followed by highly competitive doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships from the Research Foundation Flanders. He joined the VUB faculty in toxicology, progressing through tenure-track and associate professor roles to become Full Professor, leading a large multidisciplinary research team within the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy. He also served as a Visiting Professor at the Universidade de São Paulo in Brazil and has been a European Registered Toxicologist since 2010, reflecting his recognized expertise in regulatory-relevant toxicology.
Throughout his career, Dr. Vinken has built an internationally recognized program in mechanistic and in vitro liver toxicology that directly advances the 3Rs (reduce, refine, replace). His research focuses on explaining the pathways underlying chemical-induced liver injury, particularly cholestatic liver injury, and translating this mechanistic knowledge into adverse outcome pathway frameworks and predictive in vitro test batteries. His group has developed and refined human-relevant liver models and applied machine learning to integrate complex data for next-generation risk assessment. These efforts provide scientifically robust alternatives to traditional animal studies for evaluating the safety of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food ingredients, biocides, and other chemicals.
A central theme of Dr. Vinken’s work is the systematic replacement of animal studies with integrated nonanimal approaches. He has coordinated and is still coordinating numerous large European and international consortia dedicated to animal-free safety assessment, including serving as project coordinator for the Horizon 2020 ONTOX consortium, which is developing ontology-driven and artificial intelligence–based strategies for repeated-dose toxicity testing of chemicals, and for multiple earlier EU projects that advanced in vitro liver models and mechanistic toxicology. Since 2024, he also coordinates the ASPIS project cluster, bringing together the ONTOX, PrecisionTox, and RISK-HUNT3R consortia to accelerate implementation of animal-free chemical safety assessment across Europe and beyond. Collectively, these initiatives involve dozens of partner institutions and represent a major international investment in 3Rs-based toxicology.
Dr. Vinken’s contributions to animal welfare extend beyond his laboratory. He has played leading roles in the European Society of Toxicology In Vitro (ESTIV), serving as Vice President, President, and now Honorary Member, and has organized or co-organized multiple ESTIV meetings, EUROTOX conferences, World Congresses on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences, and the Microphysiological Systems World Summit. He is deeply engaged as scientific advisor in organizations and consortia relevant to alternatives, including the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI)-Europe, the Dutch Research Council project “Virtual Human Platform for Safety Assessment” and the European project “NAMs Within Integrated Safety and Efficacy Evaluation of Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals.”
Dr. Vinken has authored more than 280 peer-reviewed journal articles, edited three books, and contributed numerous book chapters that have helped shape modern in vitro hepatology and mechanistic toxicology.
As a member of SOT since 2010, Dr. Vinken has been an active participant in the Society, organizing and chairing Scientific Sessions at multiple SOT Annual Meetings and engaging with Specialty Sections aligned with in vitro and mechanistic toxicology.
Through his sustained leadership in developing mechanistically anchored, human-relevant in vitro systems and his coordination of major international programs aimed at replacing animal testing in chemical safety assessment, Dr. Vinken exemplifies the scientific innovation and commitment to animal welfare honored by the SOT Enhancement of Animal Welfare Award.
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