Scientific Advisory Committee on Alternative Toxicological Methods; Notice of Public Meeting; Request for Public Input, 50884-50885 [2023-16427]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
• National Institutes of Health

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 147 (Wednesday, August 2, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50884-50885]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-16427]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Scientific Advisory Committee on Alternative Toxicological 
Methods; Notice of Public Meeting; Request for Public Input

AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the next meeting of the Scientific 
Advisory Committee on Alternative Toxicological Methods (SACATM). 
SACATM is a federally chartered external advisory group of scientists 
from the public and private sectors, including representatives of 
regulated industry and national animal protection organizations. SACATM 
advises the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of 
Alternative Methods (ICCVAM), the National Toxicology Program (NTP) 
Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological 
Methods (NICEATM), and the Director of the National Institute of 
Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and NTP regarding statutorily 
mandated duties of ICCVAM and activities of NICEATM. Interested 
individuals may attend the meeting in person or view the meeting 
webcast. Registration is required to attend in person and/or present 
oral comments. Written public comments will be accepted. Information 
about the meeting and registration are available at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/32822.

DATES: 
    Meeting: September 21 and 22, 2023, 10:00 a.m. to approximately 
4:00 p.m. EDT both days.
    Registration for Onsite Meeting: Deadline is September 14, 2023, 
5:00 p.m. EDT.
    Registration for Oral Statements: Deadline is September 14, 2023, 
5:00 p.m. EDT.
    Registration is required to attend in person and/or to present oral 
public comments.

ADDRESSES: 
    Meeting Location: Rodbell Auditorium, Rall Building, National 
Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Research Triangle 
Park, NC 27709.
    Meeting Web Page: The preliminary agenda, registration, and other 
meeting materials will be available at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/32822.
    Virtual Meeting: A link to access the meeting webcast will be 
available on the meeting web page by noon the day before the meeting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Milene Brownlow, Designated 
Federal Officer for SACATM, Office of Policy, Review, and Outreach, 
Division of Translational Toxicology, NIEHS. Phone: 984-287-3364. 
Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Meeting and Registration: SACATM will provide input to ICCVAM, 
NICEATM, and NIEHS on programmatic activities and issues. Preliminary 
agenda items for the upcoming meeting include: (1) progress toward 
implementing the recommendations of the ICCVAM Strategic Roadmap (83 FR 
7487; https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/natl-strategy) in the areas of 
replacing acute toxicity tests and advancing validation approaches, (2) 
the role of new approach methodologies in improving environmental 
health protection, and (3) update on NICEATM computational resources.
    The preliminary agenda, roster of SACATM members, background 
materials, public comments, and any additional information will be 
posted when available on the SACATM meeting web page (https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/32822) or may be requested from the Designated 
Federal Officer for SACATM. Individuals are encouraged to visit this 
web page often to stay abreast of the most current information 
regarding the meeting. Following the meeting, summary minutes will be 
prepared and made available on the SACATM meeting web page. Slides and 
video from the meeting will also be posted on this page once they have 
been formatted to meet government accessibility standards.
    This meeting is open to the public. The public may attend the 
meeting at NIEHS, where attendance is limited only by the space 
available, or view remotely by webcast. Those planning to attend the 
meeting in person are required to register at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/32822 by September 14, 2023, to facilitate 
planning for appropriate meeting space. A link to access the meeting 
webcast will be available on the meeting web page by noon the day 
before the meeting. Individuals are encouraged to visit the meeting web 
page often to stay abreast of the most current information regarding 
the meeting.
    NIEHS visitor and security information is available at https://www.niehs.nih.gov/about/visiting/index.cfm. Individuals with 
disabilities who need accommodation to participate in this event should 
contact Robbin Guy

[[Page 50885]]

at phone: 984-287-3136 or email: [email protected]. TTY users should 
contact the Federal TTY Relay Service at 800-877-8339. Requests should 
be made at least five business days in advance of the event.
    Request for Public Comments: The preliminary agenda allows for 
several public comment periods, each allowing up to six commenters a 
maximum of five minutes per speaker. Registration for those wishing to 
provide oral public comments is required and is open through September 
14, 2023, 5:00 p.m. EDT, at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/32822. 
Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. If the maximum 
number of speakers per comment period is exceeded, individuals 
registering to submit an oral comment for the topic will be placed on a 
wait list and notified should an opening become available. Commenters 
will be notified after September 14, 2023, to provide logistical 
information for their presentations. Submitters will be identified by 
their name and affiliation and/or sponsoring organization, if 
applicable. If possible, oral public commenters should send a copy of 
their slides and/or statement or talking points to Robbin Guy by email: 
[email protected] by September 14, 2023, 5:00 p.m. EDT.
    Written statements on topics relevant to ICCVAM's mission may be 
submitted to support an oral public comment or as standalone documents. 
These should be emailed to [email protected] by September 14, 2023, 
5:00 p.m. EDT. Materials submitted to accompany oral public statements 
or standalone written statements should include the submitter's name, 
affiliation (if any), mailing address, telephone, email, and sponsoring 
organization (if any) with the document. Guidelines for public 
statements are at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/about_ntp/guidelines_public_comments_508.pdf.
    Responses to this notice are voluntary. No proprietary, classified, 
confidential, or sensitive information should be included in statements 
submitted in response to this notice or presented during the meeting. 
This request for input is for planning purposes only and is not a 
solicitation for applications or an obligation on the part of the U.S. 
Government to provide support for any ideas identified in response to 
the request. Please note that the U.S. Government will not pay for the 
preparation of any information submitted or for its use of that 
information.
    Background Information on ICCVAM, NICEATM, and SACATM: ICCVAM is an 
interagency committee composed of representatives from 17 federal 
regulatory and research agencies that require, use, generate, or 
disseminate toxicological and safety testing information. ICCVAM 
conducts technical evaluations of new, revised, and alternative safety 
testing methods and integrated testing strategies with regulatory 
applicability. ICCVAM also promotes the scientific validation and 
regulatory acceptance of testing methods that more accurately assess 
the safety and hazards of chemicals and products and replace, reduce, 
or refine animal use.
    The ICCVAM Authorization Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 285l-3) establishes 
ICCVAM as a permanent interagency committee of the National Institute 
of Environmental Health Sciences and provides the authority for ICCVAM 
involvement in activities relevant to the development of alternative 
test methods. Additional information about ICCVAM can be found at 
https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/iccvam.
    NICEATM administers ICCVAM, provides scientific and operational 
support for ICCVAM-related activities, and conducts and publishes 
analyses and evaluations of data from new, revised, and alternative 
testing approaches. NICEATM and ICCVAM work collaboratively to evaluate 
new and improved testing approaches applicable to the needs of U.S. 
federal agencies. NICEATM and ICCVAM welcome the public nomination of 
new, revised, and alternative test methods and strategies for 
validation studies and technical evaluations. Additional information 
about NICEATM can be found at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/niceatm.
    SACATM, established by the ICCVAM Authorization Act [Section 285l-
3(d)], provides advice on priorities and activities related to the 
development, validation, scientific review, regulatory acceptance, 
implementation, and national and international harmonization of new, 
revised, and alternative toxicological test methods to ICCVAM, NICEATM, 
and Director of NIEHS and NTP. Additional information about SACATM, 
including link to the charter, roster, and records of past meetings, 
can be found at https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/167.
    SACATM is governed by the provisions of the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. ch.10), which sets forth standards 
for the formation and use of advisory committees.

    Dated: July 27, 2023.
Richard P. Woychik,
Director, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and 
National Toxicology Program, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 2023-16427 Filed 8-1-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P