From the Sector

Carbitex, a leading innovator of flexible carbon fiber materials used in performance footwear, announces the appointment of Dheepak Arumukhom Revi, Ph.D., to the newly created role of Principal Scientist. 

Arumukhom Revi’s career has focused on translating cutting-edge movement science into practical technologies that improve mobility, comfort, and performance in both healthy individuals and people with neurological impairments. Prior to joining Carbitex, Arumukhom Revi held research and engineering roles at REEV, Harvard University, and Boston University, where he developed wearable sensing systems, robotic assistance technologies, and data-driven approaches for understanding human movement. He earned his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Boston University in 2025 and has authored numerous scientific publications and patents in the fields of biomechanics, wearable sensing, and neurorehabilitation. 

“Having Dheepak on board at Carbitex brings biomechanics capabilities in-house and strengthens our science-led product and technology development,” says Junus Khan, president and founder of Carbitex. “While we’ll still collaborate with external labs, our internal capability will allow us to advance our development significantly faster and conduct more fundamental research.” 

In his new role, Arumukhom Revi will accelerate product integration with brand partners by translating biomechanical insights into practical solutions and driving research that will support product innovations, concepts, and performance benefits for the footwear industry. Arumukhom Revi will contribute to the scientific foundation behind Carbitex’s recently launched educational hub, the Center for Better Flex, helping expand the collective understanding of footwear flex and movement. 

“Footwear is one of the most direct interfaces between human movement and the designed world, yet the static footwear properties constrain the dynamic foot,” says Arumukhom Revi. “I'm excited to bring biomechanical rigor to help translate what we're learning into products and platforms that actually change how people move.”

Beyond athletic and casual footwear, Arumukhom Revi will help explore Carbitex applications in work, medical, and other specialized categories where engineered biomechanics can create meaningful value.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has hosted the first meeting of its Collaborative Platform on Alternatives to Animal Testing (CP-AAT).
The event brought together Member States, the European Commission, EU agencies, industry and public-private partnerships to define priorities and strengthen cooperation on the use of alternatives to animal testing.

The members of the platform discussed the wide range of ongoing alternative methods initiatives across Europe, as well as shared challenges in advancing and applying them. They emphasised the importance of structured and continuous information exchange to support progress and avoid duplication of efforts.

Four priority areas were identified for the platform’s initial two-year work programme:

• QSARs: promote regulatory use of in silico methods, starting with acute oral toxicity, by showing practical use and setting clear performance criteria for hazard assessment;
• In vitro toxicokinetics: develop harmonised approaches for using in vitro toxicokinetic data and align scientific and regulatory expectations;
• Omics: Support use of omics technologies (e.g. transcriptomics, metabolomics) in hazard identification and grouping through guidance and case studies; and
• New approach methodologies (NAMs) for nano- and advanced materials: create regulatory approaches to assess nanomaterials’ specific properties and enable their inclusion in non-animal testing strategies.

These priorities reflect areas where further collaboration and alignment are needed to support regulatory uptake. Their scope will now be developed in more detail, with work expected to begin shortly. 

Background
The Collaborative Platform on Alternatives to Animal Testing is an informal and non-binding forum meeting twice a year focusing on scientific exchange, capacity building and development of a common understanding on the regulatory use of alternative methods. The platform is ECHA’s first contribution to the European Commission’s roadmap towards phasing out animal testing, which was published on 1 June 2026.