Growing interest in non-animal respiratory allergy testing – GARD®air data presented by industry leaders
Industrial interest in modern, non-animal methods for identifying respiratory allergens is growing, and the field is entering a new phase of increased maturity and relevance. At the world’s largest toxicology conference later this month, the US government’s NICEATM and the global pharmaceutical company Merck will present their independent evaluations of SenzaGen’s GARD®air test method. Together, these presentations indicate that respiratory allergy is emerging as an area of growing interest in non-animal testing approaches.
GARD®air has been available for several years and is based on the established GARD® technology platform, which is widely used for skin sensitization testing. In parallel, the European Patent Office (EPO) recently granted a European unitary patent for GARD®air, strengthening the intellectual property protection for this unique assay, which is already being used in customer projects.
Although formal regulatory standards for respiratory sensitization are still lacking, SenzaGen is seeing growing interest in non-animal methods that support proactive risk management and sustainable product development.
“Having NICEATM and Merck present independent data on GARD®air at the Society of Toxicology (SOT), the world’s largest toxicology conference, demonstrates that respiratory allergy is gaining attention as an important focus area within toxicology. As the market continues to develop, GARD®air offers a non-animal solution for industry, and we see an opportunity for it to become a first‑choice non-animal testing method. The technology is also a key component in scaling our sales efforts following the break‑even phase, in line with our growth plan. With the newly granted patent, we are further strengthening our IP position and increasing the value of our portfolio,” says Peter Nählstedt, President & CEO of SenzaGen.
GARD®air is a unique, non-animal method that uses genomics and machine learning to assess whether chemicals and other substances may cause respiratory sensitization. The method is the first of its kind and is suitable for safety assessments in research and development within the chemicals, biotech, and pharmaceutical industries, as well as for evaluating production environments.
The new unitary patent covers 18 EU countries, including Germany, France, Italy, and the Nordic EU member states, providing long‑term protection for the technology behind GARD®air. Patent protection is already in place in Japan, and additional applications are underway in several other countries.
The Society of Toxicology (SOT) Annual Meeting 2026 is the world’s largest conference and exhibition in toxicology and will be held March 22–25 in San Diego, USA.