Lhasa Limited is pleased to announce the latest release of Derek Nexus (version 6.4.2) and Sarah Nexus (version 5.0.0) – expert-knowledge and statistically driven decision-support tools designed to help scientists make confident, evidence-based safety assessments. This release advances approaches to chemical risk assessment and supports evolving regulatory expectations.
Transparent, interpretable toxicity predictions in Sarah Nexus
A key enhancement in this release is the transition in Sarah Nexus from confidence scores to probability scores. Developed in response to valuable member feedback, this update significantly improves the clarity and interpretability of mutagenicity and chromosome damage predictions.
Aligned with the OECD (Q)SAR Assessment Framework, probability scoring enables users to understand the degree of uncertainty in a prediction and whether it is inside the defined applicability domain of the model or not.
This development reflects Lhasa Limited’s continued commitment to advancing scientific transparency, reducing uncertainty, and supporting users in confidently explaining and defending their safety assessments.
Further support for nitrosamine risk assessment
In Derek Nexus, this release includes updates to the implemented carcinogenic potency categorisation approach (CPCA) workflow to support the determination of acceptable intake limits for N-nitrosamines. The CPCA values have been revised in line with the latest guidance from the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Health Canada and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), enabling consistent and accurate read-across assessments across carcinogenic potency categories 1–5.
Continuous improvement, driven by the scientific community
Alongside scientific enhancements, this release delivers a range of performance improvements, security updates, and bug fixes, directly informed by feedback from Lhasa Limited’s global member community.
As a not-for-profit, member-driven organisation, Lhasa Limited continues to evolve its software in close collaboration with scientists across industry, academia, and regulatory bodies, empowering users to reach critical decisions faster, with greater clarity and confidence.
Find out more
Current Derek Nexus and Sarah Nexus members are encouraged to explore the latest features and book a short training session to ensure they are getting the most out of their tools.
For more information about how Derek Nexus and Sarah Nexus can be integrated into existing workflows and add value, please get in touch.