NCTR Research Highlight - January 9, 2009

Modernizing Tools for Safety Assessment – Fifty scientists from the FDA, EPA, CDC, and NIH convened at the 2nd Inter-Agency Computational Toxicology Colloquium held at NCTR on December 10 and 11, 2008.  Three major initiatives were selected for development into cross-agency research proposals:

·        Development of in silico compound screening and prioritization models for liver toxicity in both animals and humans

·        Development of high-throughput screening data-based approach for chemical mixture component grouping, toxicity endpoint prediction, and risk/safety assessment

·        Use of high-information content data, such as microarray data, to predict individual susceptibilities and population risk to chemicals and drugs

Written proposals for the in silico modeling and draft documents for chemical mixtures analysis initiatives are circulating among participant agencies for comment.

For more information, contact Dr. William Slikker, Director, NCTR, or Dr. James Fuscoe, Division of Systems Toxicology, NCTR.