Hopkinton-based Caliper Life Sciences Inc. has been awarded $1.8 million to continue a chemical screening program for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The company said the EPA’s ToxCast screening program is in the process of predicting the toxicity of a wide variety of compounds in order to phase out animal testing. Once those predictions are made, the cost and speed of regulatory approval for new environmental chemicals is expected to drop.
Caliper is also involved in the first phase of the ToxCast screening program, which covered about 320 chemical compounds. The second phase, which is covered by the new award, is expected to cover 700 compounds.
So far, Caliper, a medical device, biotechnology and research services firm, has been awarded $5.6 million under the ToxCast program.
