Helena Kandárová

Helena Kandarova (Helena Kanďárová) is a Slovak toxicologist and scientific researcher specializing in vitro toxicology, 3D tissue engineering, and alternative methods to animal testing. She is recognized for her contributions to the development and validation of non-animal testing methods used in regulatory toxicology for chemicals, cosmetics, and medical devices.

Early life and education Helena Kandarova studied at the Slovak University of Technology, Faculty of Chemical and Food Engineering in Bratislava during 1996 - 2001 and completed her doctoral studies at the Freie Universität Berlin (Doctoral advisor Prof. Monika Schäfer-Korting) and ZEBET at the BfR (Doctoral supervisor Dr. Manfred Liebsch) in 2006 , where her research focused on the development and validation of in vitro methods using reconstructed human tissue models for toxicological assessment.

Career Kandarova began her professional career in the biotechnology sector, joining MatTek Corporation, and served as founder and Executive Director of its EU subsidiary between 2009 and 2018. In this role, she coordinated the technology transfer from the USA to the European facility, managed and supervised validation studies. She took an important role in the broad implementation of alternative methods in regulatory toxicology through the training programmes focused on topical toxicity.

Since 2019, Kandarova has been affiliated with the Slovak Academy of Sciences, where she serves as Director and Senior Scientist at the Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology within the Centre of Experimental Medicine. Her work at the institute has included the establishment and management of the SK-NETVAL laboratory dedicated to the development and validation of alternative methods, as well as participation in international research projects focused on new approach methodologies and alternatives to animal testing.

Kandarová has held leadership and advisory roles in several international scientific organisations, including:

President of the European Society for Toxicology In Vitro (since 2020)

Awards and recognition Kandarova has received several international awards for her contributions to alternative toxicological methods, including:

Doerenkamp-Zbinden Award (2021) EUROTOX Lecture Award (2022) Björn Ekwall Memorial Award (2022) ESET Science Award Finalist (2023) US SOT Award, Medical Device and Combination Products Speciality Section (2025)