in addition to terminology for rodents , a new directive for separate committees to develop species - specific terminology has been established under gesc  dog , monkey , rabbit and minipig .
committees are reviewing the rodent nomenclature as the starting point and then providing a manuscript on terminology that is in common use in each species , terminology that is unique for each species as well as rodent terminology not appropriate for use in non - rodent species .
publication as an article or supplement will be determined on a case - by - case basis .
during 2012 , inhand gesc representatives attended meetings with representatives of the fda center for drug evaluation and research ( cder ) , clinical data interchange standards consortium ( cdisc ) , and the national cancer institute ( nci ) enterprise vocabulary services ( evs ) to initiate integration of inhand terminology as the preferred terminology for send ( standard for exchange of nonclinical data ) .
send is a formal mechanism for submitting data from non - clinical studies to the fda electronically and in a standardized format .
inhand gesc assists the send controlled terminology ( ct ) committee in providing definitions for base processes and modifiers associated with the inhand published terminology .
inhand ad hoc members of the send ct committee will participate in this endeavor and take issues to the full gesc and/or appropriate owg for resolution .
the gesc may also call on experts in the field to assist in any aspect of their role as a 
scientific advisory board. the interest in utilizing the inhand nomenclature , based on input from industry and government toxicologists as well as information technology specialists , signifies the potential for wide acceptance of this nomenclature .
gesc will become a permanent standing committee of the various societies of toxicologic pathology with a defined appointment and term of members and establishment of several new roles , due to the expectation for ongoing interactions with the send project and future needs to serve in an advisory role .
gesc will act as a clearinghouse for comments and requests for updates to the inhand terminology from the send ct committee as well as from the memberships of each society .
although the published inhand nomenclature for each organ system is expected to be very comprehensive , it is recognized that additional lesions may need to be included , omissions rectified or inaccuracies corrected as they become apparent . to address this ,
a formal change control process was implemented in 2013 and is available on www.goreni.org and each society website .
society members are encouraged to submit suggestions for changes to the nomenclature systems and provide justifications for such changes through this mechanism .
gesc will continue to interface with goreni and editorial staff at the journals so that the basic structure for future publications is maintained .
the gesc and stp , bstp , estp and jstp leadership greatly appreciate the efforts of all of those serving on the owgs and the newly - formed non - rodent working groups , and look forward to working with the global toxicologic pathology community as additional systems are drafted , reviewed , and completed . the international scope and review of the inhand documents
will provide a strong framework for use by pathologists and regulatory agencies that are engaged in the safety assessment of drugs , biologics , and chemicals .
 the inhand proposal ( international harmonization of nomenclature and diagnostic criteria for lesions in rats and mice ) has been operational since 2005 . a global editorial steering committee ( gesc ) 
 manages the overall objectives of the project and the development of harmonized terminology for each organ system is the responsibility of the organ working groups ( owg ) , drawing upon experts from north america , europe and japan.great progress has been made with 9 systems published to date  
 respiratory , hepatobiliary , urinary , central / peripheral nervous systems , male reproductive and mammary , zymbals , clitoral and preputial glands in toxicologic pathology and the integument and soft tissue and female reproductive system in the journal of toxicologic pathology as supplements and on a web site  www.goreni.org . 
 inhand nomenclature guides offer diagnostic criteria and guidelines for recording lesions observed in rodent toxicity and carcinogenicity studies . 
 the guides provide representative photo - micrographs of morphologic changes , information regarding pathogenesis , and key references . during 2012 , inhand gesc representatives attended meetings with representatives of the fda center for drug evaluation and research ( cder ) , clinical data interchange standards consortium ( cdisc ) , and the national cancer institute ( nci ) enterprise vocabulary services ( evs ) to begin incorporation of inhand terminology as preferred terminology for send ( standard for exchange of nonclinical data ) submissions to the fda . 
 the interest in utilizing the inhand nomenclature , based on input from industry and government toxicologists as well as information technology specialists , suggests that there will be wide acceptance of this nomenclature . 
 the purpose of this publication is to provide an update on the progress of inhand . 
Non-Rodent Terminology
Relationship between INHAND and SEND
INHAND as an Ongoing Process