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Sündermann J, Bitsch A, Kellner R, Doll T. Is read-across for chemicals comparable to medical device equivalence and where to use it for conformity assessment? Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2024; 149:105622. [PMID: 38588771 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2024.105622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Novel medical devices must conform to medical device regulation (MDR) for European market entry. Likewise, chemicals must comply with the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACh) regulation. Both pose regulatory challenges for manufacturers, but concordantly provide an approach for transferring data from an already registered device or compound to the one undergoing accreditation. This is called equivalence for medical devices and read-across for chemicals. Although read-across is not explicitly prohibited in the process of medical device accreditation, it is usually not performed due to a lack of guidance and acceptance criteria from the authorities. Nonetheless, a scientifically justified read-across of material-based endpoints, as well as toxicological assessment of chemical aspects, such as extractables and leachables, can prevent failure of MDR device equivalence if data is lacking. Further, read-across, if applied correctly can facilitate the standard MDR conformity assessment. The need for read-across within medical device registration should let authorities to reconsider device accreditation and the formulation of respective guidance documents. Acceptance criteria like in the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) read-across assessment framework (RAAF) are needed. This can reduce the impact of the MDR and help with keeping high European innovation device rate, beneficial for medical device patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Sündermann
- Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine ITEM, Nikolai-Fuchs-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Annette Bitsch
- Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine ITEM, Nikolai-Fuchs-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Rupert Kellner
- Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine ITEM, Nikolai-Fuchs-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Theodor Doll
- Department of Otolaryngology and Cluster of Excellence "Hearing4all", Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
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2
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Sewell F, Ragan I, Horgan G, Andrew D, Holmes T, Manou I, Müller BP, Rowan T, Schmitt BG, Corvaro M. New supporting data to guide the use of evident toxicity in acute oral toxicity studies (OECD TG 420). Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2024; 146:105517. [PMID: 37838350 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2023.105517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/16/2023]
Abstract
Currently there are three test guidelines (TG) for acute oral toxicity studies of substances or mixtures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). TG 423 and TG 425 use lethality as an endpoint, while TG 420 replaces death with 'evident toxicity', defined as clear signs that exposure to a higher dose would result in death. However, the perceived subjectivity of 'evident toxicity' may be preventing wider use of TG 420. To address this, the UK National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) and the European Partnership for Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing (EPAA) collaborated to provide recommendations on the recognition of 'evident toxicity'. Historical data from acute oral toxicity studies were analysed for clinical signs at the lower dose that could have predicted death at the higher dose. Several signs including ataxia, laboured respiration, and eyes partially closed, alone or in combination, are highly predictive. Others such as lethargy, decreased respiration, and loose faeces have lower but still appreciable positive predictive value (PPV). The data has been used to develop recommendations to promote use of TG 420 and thus reduce the suffering and numbers of animals used in acute oral toxicity studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona Sewell
- UK National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs), London, UK.
| | - Ian Ragan
- UK National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs), London, UK
| | - Graham Horgan
- Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland (BioSS), Aberdeen, UK
| | | | | | - Irene Manou
- European Partnership for Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing (EPAA), Brussels, Belgium
| | | | - Tim Rowan
- European Partnership for Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing (EPAA), Brussels, Belgium
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3
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Schmeisser S, Miccoli A, von Bergen M, Berggren E, Braeuning A, Busch W, Desaintes C, Gourmelon A, Grafström R, Harrill J, Hartung T, Herzler M, Kass GEN, Kleinstreuer N, Leist M, Luijten M, Marx-Stoelting P, Poetz O, van Ravenzwaay B, Roggeband R, Rogiers V, Roth A, Sanders P, Thomas RS, Marie Vinggaard A, Vinken M, van de Water B, Luch A, Tralau T. New approach methodologies in human regulatory toxicology - Not if, but how and when! Environ Int 2023; 178:108082. [PMID: 37422975 PMCID: PMC10858683 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.108082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
The predominantly animal-centric approach of chemical safety assessment has increasingly come under pressure. Society is questioning overall performance, sustainability, continued relevance for human health risk assessment and ethics of this system, demanding a change of paradigm. At the same time, the scientific toolbox used for risk assessment is continuously enriched by the development of "New Approach Methodologies" (NAMs). While this term does not define the age or the state of readiness of the innovation, it covers a wide range of methods, including quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) predictions, high-throughput screening (HTS) bioassays, omics applications, cell cultures, organoids, microphysiological systems (MPS), machine learning models and artificial intelligence (AI). In addition to promising faster and more efficient toxicity testing, NAMs have the potential to fundamentally transform today's regulatory work by allowing more human-relevant decision-making in terms of both hazard and exposure assessment. Yet, several obstacles hamper a broader application of NAMs in current regulatory risk assessment. Constraints in addressing repeated-dose toxicity, with particular reference to the chronic toxicity, and hesitance from relevant stakeholders, are major challenges for the implementation of NAMs in a broader context. Moreover, issues regarding predictivity, reproducibility and quantification need to be addressed and regulatory and legislative frameworks need to be adapted to NAMs. The conceptual perspective presented here has its focus on hazard assessment and is grounded on the main findings and conclusions from a symposium and workshop held in Berlin in November 2021. It intends to provide further insights into how NAMs can be gradually integrated into chemical risk assessment aimed at protection of human health, until eventually the current paradigm is replaced by an animal-free "Next Generation Risk Assessment" (NGRA).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrea Miccoli
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany; National Research Council, Ancona, Italy
| | - Martin von Bergen
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Leipzig, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany; University of Leipzig, Faculty of Life Sciences, Institute of Biochemistry, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Albert Braeuning
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Wibke Busch
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Christian Desaintes
- European Commission (EC), Directorate General for Research and Innovation (RTD), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Anne Gourmelon
- Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Environment Directorate, Paris, France
| | | | - Joshua Harrill
- Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure (CCTE), United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), Durham, USA
| | - Thomas Hartung
- Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT), Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Baltimore MD USA, CAAT-Europe, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Matthias Herzler
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Nicole Kleinstreuer
- NTP Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods (NICEATM), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Durham, USA
| | - Marcel Leist
- CAAT‑Europe and Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Mirjam Luijten
- Centre for Health Protection, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | | | - Oliver Poetz
- NMI Natural and Medical Science Institute at the University of Tuebingen, Reutlingen, Germany; SIGNATOPE GmbH, Reutlingen, Germany
| | | | - Rob Roggeband
- European Partnership for Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing (EPAA), Procter and Gamble Services Company NV/SA, Strombeek-Bever, Belgium
| | - Vera Rogiers
- Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Adrian Roth
- F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Pascal Sanders
- Fougeres Laboratory, French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES), Fougères, France France
| | - Russell S Thomas
- Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure (CCTE), United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), Durham, USA
| | | | | | | | - Andreas Luch
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Tewes Tralau
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
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4
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Kim D, Jeong J, Choi J. Exploring the potential of ToxCast™ data for mechanism-based prioritization of chemicals in regulatory context: Case study with priority existing chemicals (PECs) under K-REACH. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2023:105439. [PMID: 37392832 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2023.105439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/03/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies have highlighted the potential of ToxCast™ database to mechanism-based prioritization of chemicals. To explore the applicability of ToxCast data in the context of regulatory inventory chemicals, we screened 510 priority existing chemicals (PECs) regulated under the Act on the Registration and Evaluation of Chemical Substances (K-REACH) using ToxCast bioassays. In our analysis, a hit-call data matrix containing 298984 chemical-gene interactions was computed for 949 bioassays with the intended target genes, which enabled the identification of the putative toxicity mechanisms. Based on the reactivity to the chemicals, we analyzed 412 bioassays whose intended target gene families were cytochrome P450, oxidoreductase, transporter, nuclear receptor, steroid hormone, and DNA-binding. We also identified 141 chemicals based on their reactivity in the bioassays. These chemicals are mainly in consumer products including colorants, preservatives, air fresheners, and detergents. Our analysis revealed that in vitro bioactivities were involved in the relevant mechanisms inducing in vivo toxicity; however, this was not sufficient to predict more hazardous chemicals. Overall, the current results point to a potential and limitation in using ToxCast data for chemical prioritization in regulatory context in the absence of suitable in vivo data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donghyeon Kim
- School of Environmental Engineering, University of Seoul, 163 Seoulsiripdae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, 02504, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaeseong Jeong
- School of Environmental Engineering, University of Seoul, 163 Seoulsiripdae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, 02504, Republic of Korea
| | - Jinhee Choi
- School of Environmental Engineering, University of Seoul, 163 Seoulsiripdae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, 02504, Republic of Korea.
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5
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Berggren E, Worth AP. Towards a future regulatory framework for chemicals in the European Union - Chemicals 2.0. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2023:105431. [PMID: 37315707 PMCID: PMC10390824 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2023.105431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The body of EU chemicals legislation has evolved since the 1960s, producing the largest knowledge base on chemicals worldwide. Like any evolving system, however, it has become increasingly diverse and complex, resulting in inefficiencies and potential inconsistencies. In the light of the EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, it is therefore timely and reasonable to consider how aspects of the system could be simplified and streamlined, without losing the hard-earned benefits to human health and the environment. In this commentary, we propose a conceptual framework that could be the basis of Chemicals 2.0 - a future safety assessment and management approach that is based on the application of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), mechanistic reasoning and cost-benefit considerations. Chemicals 2.0 is designed to be a more efficient and more effective approach for assessing chemicals, and to comply with the EU goal to completely replace animal testing, in line with Directive 2010/63/EU. We propose five design criteria for Chemicals 2.0 to define what the future system should achieve. The approach is centered on a classification matrix in which NAMs for toxicodynamics and toxicokinetics are used to classify chemicals according to their level of concern. An important principle is the need to ensure an equivalent, or higher, protection level.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrew P Worth
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy.
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Bopst M, Dinklo T, Funk J, Greiter-Wilke A, Lenz B, Kustermann S, Jiang T, Xie J. Unexpected neurotoxicity in chronic toxicity studies with a HBV viral expression inhibitor. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2023; 141:105407. [PMID: 37141985 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2023.105407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The non-clinical safety profile of the small molecule hepatitis B virus viral expression inhibitor RG7834 was studied in a package consisting of safety pharmacology, genotoxicity, repeat dose toxicity and reproductive toxicity studies. The chronic monkey toxicity study identified dose- and time-dependent symptoms of polyneuropathy, with correlating nerve conduction velocity reductions and axonal degeneration in peripheral nerves and spinal cord, in all compound treatment groups with no evidence of reversibility after approximately 3 months of treatment cessation. Similar histopathological findings were observed in the chronic rat toxicity study. Subsequent in vitro neurotoxicity investigations and ion channel electrophysiology did not elucidate a potential mechanism for the late toxicity. However, based on similar findings observed with a structurally different molecule, an inhibition of their common pharmacological targets, PAPD5 & PAPD 7, was considered as a possible mechanism of toxicity. In conclusion, the marked neuropathies, only observed after chronic dosing, did not support further clinical development of RG7834 because of its foreseen clinical treatment duration of up to 48 weeks in chronic HBV patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Bopst
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Theo Dinklo
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Juergen Funk
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Greiter-Wilke
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Barbara Lenz
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Kustermann
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Tianyi Jiang
- Roche Pharma and Early Development, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Roche Innovation Center, Shanghai, 201023, China
| | - Jianxun Xie
- Roche Pharma and Early Development, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Roche Innovation Center, Shanghai, 201023, China
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Avila AM, Bebenek I, Mendrick DL, Peretz J, Yao J, Brown PC. Gaps and challenges in nonclinical assessments of pharmaceuticals: An FDA/CDER perspective on considerations for development of new approach methodologies. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2023; 139:105345. [PMID: 36746323 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2023.105345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Previously, we provided an FDA/CDER perspective on nonclinical testing strategies and briefly discussed the opportunities and challenges of using new approach methodologies (NAMs) in drug development, especially for regulatory purposes. To facilitate the integration of NAMs into nonclinical regulatory testing, we surveyed the CDER Pharmacology/Toxicology community to identify the nonclinical challenges faced by CDER review staff, including gaps and areas of concern underserved by current nonclinical testing approaches, and to understand how development of NAMs with specific contexts of use (COUs) could potentially alleviate them. Survey outcomes were coalesced into CDER-identified needs for which NAMs with specific COUs could potentially be developed to address gaps and challenges in nonclinical safety assessments. We also discussed the current FDA procedure for validation and qualification of NAMs intended to inform regulatory decisions. This manuscript is intended to facilitate productive discussions and collaborations with regulatory, government, and academic stakeholders within the drug development community regarding the development and regulatory use of NAMs and their role in safety and efficacy assessment of pharmaceuticals.
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8
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Firman JW, Cronin MTD, Rowe PH, Semenova E, Doe JE. The use of Bayesian methodology in the development and validation of a tiered assessment approach towards prediction of rat acute oral toxicity. Arch Toxicol 2022. [PMID: 35034154 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-021-03205-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
There exists consensus that the traditional means by which safety of chemicals is assessed—namely through reliance upon apical outcomes obtained following in vivo testing—is increasingly unfit for purpose. Whilst efforts in development of suitable alternatives continue, few have achieved levels of robustness required for regulatory acceptance. An array of “new approach methodologies” (NAM) for determining toxic effect, spanning in vitro and in silico spheres, have by now emerged. It has been suggested, intuitively, that combining data obtained from across these sources might serve to enhance overall confidence in derived judgment. This concept may be formalised in the “tiered assessment” approach, whereby evidence gathered through a sequential NAM testing strategy is exploited so to infer the properties of a compound of interest. Our intention has been to provide an illustration of how such a scheme might be developed and applied within a practical setting—adopting for this purpose the endpoint of rat acute oral lethality. Bayesian statistical inference is drawn upon to enable quantification of degree of confidence that a substance might ultimately belong to one of five LD50-associated toxicity categories. Informing this is evidence acquired both from existing in silico and in vitro resources, alongside a purposely-constructed random forest model and structural alert set. Results indicate that the combination of in silico methodologies provides moderately conservative estimations of hazard, conducive for application in safety assessment, and for which levels of certainty are defined. Accordingly, scope for potential extension of approach to further toxicological endpoints is demonstrated.
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Claire T, Sean H. Integrating toxicokinetics into toxicology studies and the human health risk assessment process for chemicals: Reduced uncertainty, better health protection. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2022; 128:105092. [PMID: 34863906 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2021.105092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
The database of practical examples where toxicokinetic (TK) data has benefitted all stages of the human health risk assessment process are increasingly being published and accepted. This review aimed to highlight and summarise notable examples and to describe the "state of the art" in this field. The overall recommendation is that for any in vivo animal study conducted, measurements of TK should be very carefully considered for inclusion as the numerous benefits this brings continues to grow, particularly during the current march towards animal free toxicology testing and ambitions to eventually conduct human health risk assessments entirely based upon non-animal methods.
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10
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Katsiadaki I, Ellis T, Andersen L, Antczak P, Blaker E, Burden N, Fisher T, Green C, Labram B, Pearson A, Petersen K, Pickford D, Ramsden C, Rønneseth A, Ryder K, Sacker D, Stevens C, Watanabe H, Yamamoto H, Sewell F, Hawkins P, Rufli H, Handy RD, Maynard SK, Jacobs MN. Dying for change: A roadmap to refine the fish acute toxicity test after 40 years of applying a lethal endpoint. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2021; 223:112585. [PMID: 34365212 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.112585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The fish acute toxicity test (TG203; OECD, 2019) is frequently used and highly embedded in hazard and risk assessment globally. The test estimates the concentration of a chemical that kills 50% of the fish (LC50) over a 96 h exposure and is considered one of the most severe scientific procedures undertaken. Over the years, discussions at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have resulted in changes to the test which reduce the number of fish used, as well as the development of a (potential) replacement test (TG236, OECD, 2013). However, refinement of the mortality endpoint with an earlier (moribundity) endpoint was not considered feasible during the Test Guideline's (TG) last update in 2019. Several stakeholders met at a UK-based workshop to discuss how TG203 can be refined, and identified two key opportunities to reduce fish suffering: (1) application of clinical signs that predict mortality and (2) shortening the test duration. However, several aspects need to be addressed before these refinements can be adopted. TG203 has required recording of major categories of sublethal clinical signs since its conception, with the option to record more detailed signs introduced in the 2019 update. However, in the absence of guidance, differences in identification, recording and reporting of clinical signs between technicians and laboratories is likely to have generated piecemeal data of varying quality. Harmonisation of reporting templates, and training in clinical sign recognition and recording are needed to standardise clinical sign data. This is critical to enable robust data-driven detection of clinical signs that predict mortality. Discussions suggested that the 96 h duration of TG203 cannot stand up to scientific scrutiny. Feedback and data from UK contract research organisations (CROs) conducting the test were that a substantial proportion of mortalities occur in the first 24 h. Refinement of TG203 by shortening the test duration would reduce suffering (and test failure rate) but requires a mechanism to correct new results to previous 96 h LC50 data. The actions needed to implement both refinement opportunities are summarised here within a roadmap. A shift in regulatory assessment, where the 96 h LC50 is a familiar base for decisions, will also be critical.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioanna Katsiadaki
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Weymouth Laboratory, Barrack road, Dorset DT4 8UB, UK.
| | - Tim Ellis
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Weymouth Laboratory, Barrack road, Dorset DT4 8UB, UK
| | | | - Philipp Antczak
- Institute of Integrative Biology, Biology, Biosciences Building, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK; Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne, University Hospital Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Ellen Blaker
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Weymouth Laboratory, Barrack road, Dorset DT4 8UB, UK
| | - Natalie Burden
- NC3Rs, Gibbs Building, 215 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE, UK
| | - Tom Fisher
- Chemical Regulation Division, Mallard House, 3 Peasholme Green, York YO1 7PX, UK
| | | | | | - Audrey Pearson
- Environment Agency, Chemical Assessment Unit, Red Kite House, Howbery Park, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 8BD, UK
| | | | - Dan Pickford
- Syngenta Ltd, Jealott's Hill International Research Station, Bracknell RG42 6EY, UK
| | - Chris Ramsden
- AgroChemex Environmental, Aldhams Research Farm, Dead Lane, Lawford, Manningtree, Essex CO11 2NF, UK
| | - Anita Rønneseth
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, P.O. Box 7803, N-5006 Bergen, Norway
| | - Kathy Ryder
- Northern Ireland Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act (ASPA) Inspectorate, Room C4.3, Castle Buildings, Stormont Estate, Belfast BT4 3SQ, UK
| | - Dominic Sacker
- Covance CRS Research Limited, Shardlow Business Park, London Road, Shardlow DE72 2GD, UK
| | | | - Haruna Watanabe
- National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES), 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba-City, Ibaraki 305-8506 Japan
| | | | | | - Penny Hawkins
- Animals in Science Department, Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Wilberforce Way, Southwater, Horsham, West Sussex RH13 9RS, UK
| | - Hans Rufli
- ecotoxsolutions, Unterer Rheinweg 114, CH-4057 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Richard D Handy
- School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, Devon PL4 8AA, UK
| | - Samuel K Maynard
- AstraZeneca, Global Sustainability, Eastbrook House, Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge CB2 8DU, UK
| | - Miriam N Jacobs
- Department of Toxicology, Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental, Hazards Public Health England, Chilton, Oxfordshire OX11 0RQ, UK
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11
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Suarez-Torres JD, Orozco CA, Ciangherotti CE. Applying Bayesian forecasting to predictive toxicology: the probability of innate carcinogenicity to humans of dyes synthesized from benzidine. Toxicol Lett 2021; 351:111-134. [PMID: 34384884 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2021.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Revised: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The preclinical identification of health hazards relies on the performance (the historic agreement with the ultimate gold standard) of regulatorily recommended bioassays. However, any screening testing with less than 100% sensitivity, or 100% specificity, can deliver false results (outcomes discordant to the ultimate gold standard). Conversely, the predictive values approach (a.k.a. Bayesian forecasting) weighs (1) the performance of the predictive bioassay (battery, or framework) with (2) the prevalence of -positivity to the ultimate gold standard- in the most representative category to which the substance in evaluation can be allocated. Thus, the predictive values approach (PVA) provides the quantitative probability of toxicity to humans for substances that, circumstantially, are evaluable only through nonclinical data. Consequently, the PVA improves the predictivity of nonclinical toxicology, increasing the potential impact of hazard identifications based on preclinical data only. This article aimed to introduce the PVA through a worked example. Due to their toxicological homogeneity and public health relevance, the superfamily of colorants derived from benzidine (BZ) or some mutagenic congeners was selected (hereafter mentioned as BZ-related-colorants). For 259 BZ-related-colorants, the numeric probability of innate carcinogenicity to humans was estimated (from rodent carcinogenicity bioassays) or predicted (from alternative methods) through the PVA. A discussion was provided on (1) some limitations and implications of the PVA, and (2) the probable significance of the predictive values figured for up to 259 BZ-related-colorings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose D Suarez-Torres
- Department of Pharmacy (Faculty of Sciences), Department of Toxicology (Faculty of Medicine), Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Colombia; Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, D.C., Venezuela.
| | - Camilo A Orozco
- Department of Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, D.C, Colombia
| | - Carlos E Ciangherotti
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, D.C., Venezuela
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12
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Herzler M, Marx-Stoelting P, Pirow R, Riebeling C, Luch A, Tralau T, Schwerdtle T, Hensel A. The "EU chemicals strategy for sustainability" questions regulatory toxicology as we know it: is it all rooted in sound scientific evidence? Arch Toxicol 2021; 95:2589-2601. [PMID: 34156488 PMCID: PMC8218290 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-021-03091-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Herzler
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany.
| | | | - Ralph Pirow
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Andreas Luch
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Tewes Tralau
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Tanja Schwerdtle
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Hensel
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany
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13
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Suarez-Torres JD, Orozco CA, Ciangherotti CE. The 2-year rodent bioassay in drug and chemical carcinogenicity testing: Performance, utility, and configuration for cancer hazard identification. J Pharmacol Toxicol Methods 2021; 110:107070. [PMID: 33905862 DOI: 10.1016/j.vascn.2021.107070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
For several intended uses of chemicals, the 2-year rodent bioassay (RCB) has been the benchmark method to screen the carcinogenicity to humans of substances, according to the hazard identification sphere. Despite the ongoing controversy around this traditional testing, the RCB is in force and being used by stakeholders. After assembling the RCB's ability to forecast the carcinogenicity to humans of substances, the current review aimed to provide a discussion on the RCB's (1) sensitivity and specificity; (2) utility; (3) configuration, and (4) provisional role in the regulatory policy. In general, RCBs conducted at maximum tolerated doses (MTDs) exhibited a functional ability to (1) not missing the great majority of human carcinogens, and to (2) not responding to the large majority of human non-carcinogens. There is citable evidence supporting the use of MTDs to render RCBs as sensitive as possible, particularly provided the ethically-justified small samples used in RCBs. The literature shows that rodent-specific mechanisms of chemical carcinogenesis contribute significant unspecificity to RCBs. Nonetheless, the paradox between a functional sensitivity and a significant unspecificity can be predictively resolved through the application of Bayesian forecasting. In terms of performance to forecast the carcinogenicity to humans of either genotoxic or non-genotoxic substances, 2-species-RCBs added no value over the rat-RCB. Nevertheless, there is preliminary evidence cautioning that 15% of the rodent carcinogens probably carcinogenic to humans could be missed if mouse-RCBs are indiscriminately discontinued. More than thirteen RCB-related issues relevant to regulatory pharmacology and toxicology were discussed and summarized in this review.
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14
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Lee J, Jeong JS, Kim W, Kim SY, Lee SJ, Baek SK, Lee JH, Jeong EJ, Nam SY, Yu WJ. Serial blood sampling effects in rat embryo-fetal development studies for toxicokinetics. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2021; 123:104930. [PMID: 33891998 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2021.104930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Revised: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Serial blood sampling for toxicokinetics is generally conducted in regulatory embryo-fetal development (EFD) studies in rats. EFD studies are designed to detect the potential adverse effects of pharmaceuticals on pregnant females and their fetuses; this information is useful for understanding the relationships between systemic exposure levels and toxicity profiles. However, additional satellite pregnant females are needed for toxicokinetics because comprehensive information regarding the potential impact of serial blood sampling on pregnant females is scarce. Here, in this study, we investigated the potential impact of serial blood sampling in pregnant female rats using a typical EFD study design. Additionally, we investigated the additional endpoints (clinical pathology, organ weights, and histopathology) that were deemed likely to be sensitive to blood sampling. Results indicated that serial blood sampling in pregnant females induced physiological adaptive changes and did not affect the general endpoints in EFD studies. Nevertheless, inclusion of satellite groups in EFD studies may be a more prudent approach considering the physiological changes in pregnant females and potential off-target effects of candidate pharmaceuticals. These results provide background information on the impact of serial blood sampling in pregnant females and will be useful to design the regulatory EFD studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinsoo Lee
- Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology Research Group, Korea Institute of Toxicology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea; College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji-Seong Jeong
- Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology Research Group, Korea Institute of Toxicology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Woojin Kim
- Toxicological Pathology Research Group, Korea Institute of Toxicology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Yun Kim
- Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology Research Group, Korea Institute of Toxicology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung-Jin Lee
- Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology Research Group, Korea Institute of Toxicology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Ki Baek
- Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology Research Group, Korea Institute of Toxicology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae-Hwan Lee
- Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology Research Group, Korea Institute of Toxicology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Ju Jeong
- Chemical Risk Assessment Research Committee, Korea Institute of Toxicology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Yoon Nam
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
| | - Wook-Joon Yu
- Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology Research Group, Korea Institute of Toxicology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
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15
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Wibbertmann A, Bitsch A, Kuper CF. Comprehensive analysis of chronic rodent inhalation toxicity studies for methyl acrylate with attention to test conditions exceeding a maximum tolerated concentration. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2021; 122:104900. [PMID: 33636299 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2021.104900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Revised: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
MA is a chemical intermediate, manufactured and processed within closed systems. While so far available subacute to chronic inhalation toxicity studies performed in compliance with OECD TG principles gave no indication of any carcinogenic potential for MA, a recent 2-year inhalation study with F344/DuCrlCrlj rats published in 2017 by the JBRC showed a statistically significant increase of squamous cell carcinoma in the nasal cavity of male rats at the highest tested concentration of 160 ppm. However, the results of the different studies in total indicate that this high concentration exceeded the MTC. As MA has a low potential for genotoxic and mutagenic activity, the increased tumour incidence can be attributed to a non-genotoxic mechanism, namely to a strong inflammatory response observed in this study. Together with mechanistic and epidemiologic data for other compounds related to nasal carcinogenesis via this mode of action, it can be concluded that the relevance of this increased tumour incidence in male rats for humans is questionable. Also, a long-term exposure to higher concentrations of MA is highly unlikely to be reached in the environment or at workplaces. Therefore, a risk for humans including cancer hazard is considered implausible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axel Wibbertmann
- Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine ITEM, Nikolai-Fuchs-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Annette Bitsch
- Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine ITEM, Nikolai-Fuchs-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
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16
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Bell S, Abedini J, Ceger P, Chang X, Cook B, Karmaus AL, Lea I, Mansouri K, Phillips J, McAfee E, Rai R, Rooney J, Sprankle C, Tandon A, Allen D, Casey W, Kleinstreuer N. An integrated chemical environment with tools for chemical safety testing. Toxicol In Vitro 2020; 67:104916. [PMID: 32553663 PMCID: PMC7393692 DOI: 10.1016/j.tiv.2020.104916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2020] [Revised: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Moving toward species-relevant chemical safety assessments and away from animal testing requires access to reliable data to develop and build confidence in new approaches. The Integrated Chemical Environment (ICE) provides tools and curated data centered around chemical safety assessment. This article describes updates to ICE, including improved accessibility and interpretability of in vitro data via mechanistic target mapping and enhanced interactive tools for in vitro to in vivo extrapolation (IVIVE). Mapping of in vitro assay targets to toxicity endpoints of regulatory importance uses literature-based mode-of-action information and controlled terminology from existing knowledge organization systems to support data interoperability with external resources. The most recent ICE update includes Tox21 high-throughput screening data curated using analytical chemistry data and assay-specific parameters to eliminate potential artifacts or unreliable activity. Also included are physicochemical/ADME parameters for over 800,000 chemicals predicted by quantitative structure-activity relationship models. These parameters are used by the new ICE IVIVE tool in combination with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's httk R package to estimate in vivo exposures corresponding to in vitro bioactivity concentrations from stored or user-defined assay data. These new ICE features allow users to explore the applications of an expanded data space and facilitate building confidence in non-animal approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon Bell
- Integrated Laboratory Systems, Inc., P.O. Box 13501, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - Jaleh Abedini
- Integrated Laboratory Systems, Inc., P.O. Box 13501, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - Patricia Ceger
- Integrated Laboratory Systems, Inc., P.O. Box 13501, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - Xiaoqing Chang
- Integrated Laboratory Systems, Inc., P.O. Box 13501, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - Bethany Cook
- Integrated Laboratory Systems, Inc., P.O. Box 13501, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - Agnes L Karmaus
- Integrated Laboratory Systems, Inc., P.O. Box 13501, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - Isabel Lea
- Integrated Laboratory Systems, Inc., P.O. Box 13501, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - Kamel Mansouri
- Integrated Laboratory Systems, Inc., P.O. Box 13501, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
| | - Jason Phillips
- Sciome LLC, 2 Davis Dr., Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - Eric McAfee
- Sciome LLC, 2 Davis Dr., Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - Ruhi Rai
- Integrated Laboratory Systems, Inc., P.O. Box 13501, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - John Rooney
- Integrated Laboratory Systems, Inc., P.O. Box 13501, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - Catherine Sprankle
- Integrated Laboratory Systems, Inc., P.O. Box 13501, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - Arpit Tandon
- Sciome LLC, 2 Davis Dr., Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - David Allen
- Integrated Laboratory Systems, Inc., P.O. Box 13501, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - Warren Casey
- National Toxicology Program Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, P.O. Box 12233, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - Nicole Kleinstreuer
- National Toxicology Program Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, P.O. Box 12233, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
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18
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Son YW, Choi HN, Che JH, Kang BC, Yun JW. Advances in selecting appropriate non-rodent species for regulatory toxicology research: Policy, ethical, and experimental considerations. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2020; 116:104757. [PMID: 32758521 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2020.104757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2020] [Revised: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
In vivo animal studies are required by regulatory agencies to investigate drug safety before clinical trials. In this review, we summarize the process of selecting a relevant non-rodent species for preclinical studies. The dog is the primary, default non-rodent used in toxicology studies with multiple scientific advantages, including adequate background data and availability. Rabbit has many regulatory advantages as the first non-rodent for the evaluation of reproductive and developmental as well as local toxicity. Recently, minipigs have increasingly replaced dogs and rabbits in toxicology studies due to ethical and scientific advantages including similarity to humans and breeding habits. When these species are not relevant, nonhuman primates (NHPs) can be used as the available animal models, especially in toxicology studies investigating biotherapeutics. Particularly, based on the phylogenetic relationships, the use of New-World marmosets can be considered before Old-World monkeys, especially cynomolgus with robust historical data. Importantly, the use of NHPs should be justified in terms of scientific benefits considering target affinity, expression pattern, and pharmacological cross-reactivity. Strict standards are required for the use of animals. Therefore, this review is helpful for the selection of appropriate non-rodent in regulatory toxicology studies by providing sufficient regulatory, ethical, and scientific data for each species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong-Wook Son
- Department of Biotechnology, The Catholic University of Korea, Bucheon, 14662, South Korea
| | - Ha-Ni Choi
- Department of Biotechnology, The Catholic University of Korea, Bucheon, 14662, South Korea
| | - Jeong-Hwan Che
- Biomedical Center for Animal Resource and Development, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03080, South Korea
| | - Byeong-Cheol Kang
- Graduate School of Translational Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03080, South Korea
| | - Jun-Won Yun
- Department of Biotechnology, The Catholic University of Korea, Bucheon, 14662, South Korea.
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19
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Macacu A, Guillot G. Dose-response analysis of toxicological and pharmacological mixtures with the model deviation ratio method: Problems and solutions. Toxicol Lett 2020; 325:62-66. [PMID: 32109533 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2020.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Revised: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Risk assessment for mixtures of chemicals requires to investigate the magnitude of their potential adverse effects on living organisms. This is usually done by assessing how experimental toxicological mixture data depart from the model of Loewe additivity. Several recent scientific studies propose to perform this task using an ad hoc method known as model deviation ratio (MDR) method. Moreover, the first official European regulatory document for the study of combined exposures explicitly recommends the use of the MDR method (EFSA Scientific Committee et al. Guidance on harmonised methodologies for human health, animal health and ecological risk assessment of combined exposure to multiple chemicals. EFSA Journal, 2019). We show here that the MDR method is not rooted in statistical principles and can lead to erroneous claims. We show however that the distribution of the MDR can be evaluated by simulations and show how this allows us to devise and carry out a bona fide statistical test. The proposed method accounts for uncertainty in the estimation of ED/EC50 and does not require a minimum sample size. The computer code developped in this study is made available as an R package called MDR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina Macacu
- International Prevention Research Institute, Lyon, France.
| | - Gilles Guillot
- International Prevention Research Institute, Lyon, France.
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20
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Fischer BC, Rotter S, Schubert J, Marx-Stoelting P, Solecki R. Recommendations for international harmonisation, implementation and further development of suitable scientific approaches regarding the assessment of mixture effects. Food Chem Toxicol 2020; 141:111388. [PMID: 32348816 DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2020.111388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Revised: 04/02/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Legal frameworks lay down requirements for risk assessment of combined exposure to multiple chemicals and their implementation where scientific methods are accepted by responsible authorities. In order to protect human health, an assessment of potential risks that might result from co-exposure to multiple chemical substances is requested by European legislation. Several approaches for risk assessment of mixtures of chemicals have been proposed, but none has been widely implemented in regulatory risk assessments, so far. EuroMix, an EU Horizon 2020 funded project, contributed to the improvement of internationally harmonised approaches for risk assessment of chemical mixtures. Based on in vitro and in silico tests, an integrated test strategy involving hazard and exposure assessment was developed and a web tool to conduct such assessments was provided. One further task within EuroMix was to make recommendations for international harmonisation, implementation and further development of suitable scientific approaches regarding the assessment of mixture effects. This paper briefly describes objectives and outcome of the EuroMix project as well as recent findings from OECD, WHO and EFSA addressing combined exposure to multiple chemicals. Building on this, five steps addressing further development needs and implementation of existing tools especially for risk managers and policy makers are proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin C Fischer
- Department Pesticides Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment - BfR, Max-Dohrn-Straße 8-10, 10589, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefanie Rotter
- Department Pesticides Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment - BfR, Max-Dohrn-Straße 8-10, 10589, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Jens Schubert
- Department Pesticides Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment - BfR, Max-Dohrn-Straße 8-10, 10589, Berlin, Germany
| | - Philip Marx-Stoelting
- Department Pesticides Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment - BfR, Max-Dohrn-Straße 8-10, 10589, Berlin, Germany
| | - Roland Solecki
- Department Pesticides Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment - BfR, Max-Dohrn-Straße 8-10, 10589, Berlin, Germany
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21
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Grignard E, Håkansson H, Munn S. Regulatory needs and activities to address the retinoid system in the context of endocrine disruption: The European viewpoint. Reprod Toxicol 2020; 93:250-258. [PMID: 32171711 PMCID: PMC7322530 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2020.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Revised: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Endocrine disruption continues to be a matter of high concern, and a subject of intensive activities at the public, political, regulatory and academic levels. Currently, available regulatory test guidelines (TGs) relevant to the identification of endocrine disrupters are largely limited to estrogen, androgen, thyroid and steroidogenesis (EATS) pathways. Thus, there is an increasing interest and need to develop test methods, biomarkers, and Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOPs), for identification and evaluation of endocrine disrupters in addition to the EATS pathways. An activity focusing on the retinoid system has been jointly initiated by the Swedish Chemicals Agency and the European Commission. The retinoid system is involved in fundamental life processes and has been described, in previous work at the OECD, as a system susceptible to environmental endocrine disruption, the disruption of which could contribute to the increasing incidence of certain disorders in humans and wildlife populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise Grignard
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Italy.
| | - Helen Håkansson
- Institute of Environmental Medicine (IMM), Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.
| | - Sharon Munn
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Italy.
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22
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Kluxen FM, Hothorn LA. Alternatives to statistical decision trees in regulatory (eco-)toxicological bioassays. Arch Toxicol 2020; 94:1135-49. [PMID: 32193567 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-020-02690-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The goal of (eco-) toxicological testing is to experimentally establish a dose or concentration-response and to identify a threshold with a biologically relevant and probably non-random deviation from "normal". Statistical tests aid this process. Most statistical tests have distributional assumptions that need to be satisfied for reliable performance. Therefore, most statistical analyses used in (eco-)toxicological bioassays use subsequent pre- or assumption-tests to identify the most appropriate main test, so-called statistical decision trees. There are however several deficiencies with the approach, based on study design, type of tests used and subsequent statistical testing in general. When multiple comparisons are used to identify a non-random change against negative control, we propose to use robust testing, which can be generically applied without the need of decision trees. Visualization techniques and reference ranges also offer advantages over the current pre-testing approaches. We aim to promulgate the concepts in the (eco-) toxicological community and initiate a discussion for regulatory acceptance.
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23
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Temple D, Springer T, Gallagher S, du Hoffmann G, Wheeler JR. The value of avian gross pathology in identifying endocrine disrupting properties. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2020; 112:104577. [PMID: 31978447 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2020.104577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Revised: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The European Chemical Agency and European Food Safety Authority recommend that gross pathology findings, from avian reproduction studies, be used to support assessment of potential endocrine disrupting properties of active pesticidal and biocidal substances. In open literature, little information is available on the utility of gross pathology data for informing endocrine evaluations. Here the gross pathology data from historical control groups of 51 northern bobwhite and 51 mallard reproduction tests is analyzed to evaluate the utility of such information. Incidence of gross morphology findings in untreated birds may aid the interpretation of some gross abnormalities, potentially indicative of an endocrine interaction (e.g. reproductive condition). Statistical analysis of the historical control data indicates that gross pathology is not likely to be useful for detecting endocrine effects as abnormalities with relatively high increases in prevalence (more than 20-30%, depending on prevalence in controls) are reliably interpreted as a treatment response. Gross pathology changes are only indicative and not diagnostic of endocrine interactions making it difficult to distinguish gross pathology abnormalities, due to endocrine-mediated effects, from systemic toxicity. This work demonstrates the utility of using historical control analyses to establish the value and properties of selected endpoints for regulatory applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Temple
- Eurofins EAG Agrosciences, LLC, 8598 Commerce Drive, Easton, MD, 21601, USA
| | - Timothy Springer
- Springer Consulting, 29371 Stoney Ridge Circle, Easton, MD, 2160, USA
| | - Sean Gallagher
- Eurofins EAG Agrosciences, LLC, 8598 Commerce Drive, Easton, MD, 21601, USA
| | - Gunther du Hoffmann
- Eurofins EAG Agrosciences, LLC, 8598 Commerce Drive, Easton, MD, 21601, USA.
| | - James R Wheeler
- Corteva Agriscience, 3b Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 4RN, United Kingdom
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Sauer UG, Kreiling R. The Grouping and Assessment Strategy for Organic Pigments (GRAPE): Scientific evidence to facilitate regulatory decision-making. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2019; 109:104501. [PMID: 31629781 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2019.104501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Revised: 09/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
This article presents the Grouping and Assessment Strategy for Organic Pigments (GRAPE). GRAPE is driven by the hypotheses that low (bio)dissolution and low permeability indicate absence of systemic bioavailability and hence no systemic toxicity potential upon oral exposure, and, for inhalation exposure, that low (bio)dissolution (and absence of surface reactivity, dispersibility and in vitro effects) indicate that the organic pigment is a 'poorly soluble particle without intrinsic toxicity potential'. In GRAPE Tier 1, (bio)solubility and (bio)dissolution are assessed, and in Tier 2, in vitro Caco-2 permeability and in vitro alveolar macrophage activation. Thereafter, organic pigments are grouped by common properties (further considering structural similarity depending on the regulatory requirements). In Tier 3, absence of systemic bioavailability is verified by limited in vivo screening (rat 28-day oral and 5-day inhalation toxicity studies). If Tier 3 confirms no (or only very low) systemic bioavailability, all higher-tier endpoint-specific animal testing is scientifically not-relevant. Application of the GRAPE can serve to reduce animal testing needs for all but few representative organic pigments within a group. GRAPE stands in line with the EU REACH Regulation (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals). An ongoing research project aims at establishing a proof-of-concept of the GRAPE.
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Beekhuijzen M, Rijk JCW, Meijer M, de Raaf MA, Pelgrom S. A critical evaluation of thyroid hormone measurements in OECD test guideline studies: Is there any added value? Reprod Toxicol 2019; 88:56-66. [PMID: 31348994 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2019.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Revised: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 07/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Recently several OECD test guidelines were updated to include thyroid hormone measurements for assessing endocrine disruptor potency, which led to an imperative need to align interpretation of these results by the different stakeholders. We therefore evaluated 124 repro screening studies, which showed in 38% of the studies a statistical significant finding for T4 in at least one treatment group, probably due to disturbances of normal homeostasis causing high variation. Consequently, for a thorough evaluation it is extremely important to take the historical control range into account. In conclusion, the current testing approach is not providing specific information needed to assess endocrine disruption, as too often a statistical significant finding is noted and as down-stream adverse effects are not evaluated. Therefore, major modifications are urgently needed. Instead of extending the in vivo experiments, it should be investigated if in vitro assessments will provide more relevant information on human endocrine disruptor potential.
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Carr GJ, Bailer AJ, Rawlings JM, Belanger SE. On the impact of sample size on median lethal concentration estimation in acute fish toxicity testing: Is n = 7/group enough? Environ Toxicol Chem 2018; 37:1565-1578. [PMID: 29350430 DOI: 10.1002/etc.4098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2017] [Revised: 11/10/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The fish acute toxicity test method is foundational to aquatic toxicity testing strategies, yet the literature lacks a concise sample size assessment. Although various sources address sample size, historical precedent seems to play a larger role than objective measures. We present a novel and comprehensive quantification of the effect of sample size on estimation of the median lethal concentration (LC50), covering a wide range of scenarios. The results put into perspective the practical differences across a range of sample sizes, from n = 5/concentration up to n = 23/concentration. We also provide a framework for setting sample size guidance illustrating ways to quantify the performance of LC50 estimation, which can be used to set sample size guidance given reasonably difficult (or worst-case) scenarios. There is a clear benefit to larger sample size studies: they reduce error in the determination of LC50s, and lead to more robust safe environmental concentration determinations, particularly in cases likely to be called worst-case (shallow slope and true LC50 near the edges of the concentration range). Given that the use of well-justified sample sizes is crucial to reducing uncertainty in toxicity estimates, these results lead us to recommend a reconsideration of the current de minimis 7/concentration sample size for critical studies (e.g., studies needed for a chemical registration, which are being tested for the first time, or involving difficult test substances). Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:1565-1578. © 2018 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory J Carr
- Data and Modeling Sciences, Procter & Gamble, Mason, Ohio, United States
| | - A John Bailer
- Department of Statistics, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, United States
| | - Jane M Rawlings
- Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability, Procter & Gamble, Mason, Ohio, United States
| | - Scott E Belanger
- Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability, Procter & Gamble, Mason, Ohio, United States
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Fowles J, Lewis C, Rushton E. Studies on the environmental fate, ecotoxicology and toxicology of 2-methyl 1,3-propanediol. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2017; 91:240-248. [PMID: 29097239 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2017.10.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2017] [Revised: 08/28/2017] [Accepted: 10/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
2-methyl 1,3-propandiol (MPD) is a low molecular weight, colorless glycol used in polymer and coating applications. The log Kow of -0.6 suggests partitioning to aqueous phases with a low concern for possible bioaccumulation. MPD was found to be inherently biodegradable. Ecotoxicological results in several aquatic and terrestrial species found no significant hazard potential. MPD is rapidly absorbed via the oral and dermal routes, metabolized to 3-hydroxybutyrate, and excreted in urine with a half-life of 3.6 h. Acute toxicity testing found low toxicity via all routes. Barely perceptible skin irritation was observed in human volunteers, whereas there was no evidence of irritation in rabbits. Skin sensitization in Guinea pigs was negative. Human skin patch results indicated minimal response in about 1% of individuals. There was no evidence of mutagenicity using bacterial and mammalian test systems. A 90-day oral study in rats found no adverse effects at any dose. Three developmental toxicity studies in rats and rabbits, found no treatment-related maternal toxicity, fetal toxicity or malformations. A two-generation reproduction study in rats found no consistent treatment-related adverse effects on reproduction in either generation. No carcinogenicity studies with MPD were identified. MPD presents a low degree of toxicological and ecotoxicological or environmental hazard.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Fowles
- Tox-Logic Consulting, Santa Rosa CA, United States.
| | - C Lewis
- Bootman Chemical Safety, Diss, UK
| | - E Rushton
- LyondellBasell Industries, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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Gant TW, Sauer UG, Zhang SD, Chorley BN, Hackermüller J, Perdichizzi S, Tollefsen KE, van Ravenzwaay B, Yauk C, Tong W, Poole A. A generic Transcriptomics Reporting Framework (TRF) for 'omics data processing and analysis. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2017; 91 Suppl 1:S36-45. [PMID: 29113939 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2017.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2017] [Revised: 10/19/2017] [Accepted: 11/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
A generic Transcriptomics Reporting Framework (TRF) is presented that lists parameters that should be reported in 'omics studies used in a regulatory context. The TRF encompasses the processes from transcriptome profiling from data generation to a processed list of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) ready for interpretation. Included within the TRF is a reference baseline analysis (RBA) that encompasses raw data selection; data normalisation; recognition of outliers; and statistical analysis. The TRF itself does not dictate the methodology for data processing, but deals with what should be reported. Its principles are also applicable to sequencing data and other 'omics. In contrast, the RBA specifies a simple data processing and analysis methodology that is designed to provide a comparison point for other approaches and is exemplified here by a case study. By providing transparency on the steps applied during 'omics data processing and analysis, the TRF will increase confidence processing of 'omics data, and regulatory use. Applicability of the TRF is ensured by its simplicity and generality. The TRF can be applied to all types of regulatory 'omics studies, and it can be executed using different commonly available software tools.
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Bridges J, Sauer UG, Buesen R, Deferme L, Tollefsen KE, Tralau T, van Ravenzwaay B, Poole A, Pemberton M. Framework for the quantitative weight-of-evidence analysis of 'omics data for regulatory purposes. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2017; 91 Suppl 1:S46-60. [PMID: 29037774 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2017.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2017] [Revised: 10/11/2017] [Accepted: 10/12/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
A framework for the quantitative weight-of-evidence (QWoE) analysis of 'omics data for regulatory purposes is presented. The QWoE framework encompasses seven steps to evaluate 'omics data (also together with non-'omics data): (1) Hypothesis formulation, identification and weighting of lines of evidence (LoEs). LoEs conjoin different (types of) studies that are used to critically test the hypothesis. As an essential component of the QWoE framework, step 1 includes the development of templates for scoring sheets that predefine scoring criteria with scores of 0-4 to enable a quantitative determination of study quality and data relevance; (2) literature searches and categorisation of studies into the pre-defined LoEs; (3) and (4) quantitative assessment of study quality and data relevance using the respective pre-defined scoring sheets for each study; (5) evaluation of LoE-specific strength of evidence based upon the study quality and study relevance scores of the studies conjoined in the respective LoE; (6) integration of the strength of evidence from the individual LoEs to determine the overall strength of evidence; (7) characterisation of uncertainties and conclusion on the QWoE. To put the QWoE framework in practice, case studies are recommended to confirm the relevance of its different steps, or to adapt them as necessary.
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Buesen R, Chorley BN, da Silva Lima B, Daston G, Deferme L, Ebbels T, Gant TW, Goetz A, Greally J, Gribaldo L, Hackermüller J, Hubesch B, Jennen D, Johnson K, Kanno J, Kauffmann HM, Laffont M, McMullen P, Meehan R, Pemberton M, Perdichizzi S, Piersma AH, Sauer UG, Schmidt K, Seitz H, Sumida K, Tollefsen KE, Tong W, Tralau T, van Ravenzwaay B, Weber RJM, Worth A, Yauk C, Poole A. Applying 'omics technologies in chemicals risk assessment: Report of an ECETOC workshop. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2017; 91 Suppl 1:S3-S13. [PMID: 28958911 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2017.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2017] [Revised: 08/31/2017] [Accepted: 09/02/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Prevailing knowledge gaps in linking specific molecular changes to apical outcomes and methodological uncertainties in the generation, storage, processing, and interpretation of 'omics data limit the application of 'omics technologies in regulatory toxicology. Against this background, the European Centre for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals (ECETOC) convened a workshop Applying 'omics technologies in chemicals risk assessment that is reported herein. Ahead of the workshop, multi-expert teams drafted frameworks on best practices for (i) a Good-Laboratory Practice-like context for collecting, storing and curating 'omics data; (ii) the processing of 'omics data; and (iii) weight-of-evidence approaches for integrating 'omics data. The workshop participants confirmed the relevance of these Frameworks to facilitate the regulatory applicability and use of 'omics data, and the workshop discussions provided input for their further elaboration. Additionally, the key objective (iv) to establish approaches to connect 'omics perturbations to phenotypic alterations was addressed. Generally, it was considered promising to strive to link gene expression changes and pathway perturbations to the phenotype by mapping them to specific adverse outcome pathways. While further work is necessary before gene expression changes can be used to establish safe levels of substance exposure, the ECETOC workshop provided important incentives towards achieving this goal.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Timothy Ebbels
- Computational and Systems Medicine, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Timothy W Gant
- Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards (CRCE), Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Public Health England (PHE), United Kingdom
| | | | - John Greally
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Yeshiva University, USA
| | - Laura Gribaldo
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, European Reference Laboratory for Alternatives to Animal Testing (EURL ECVAM), Italy
| | - Jörg Hackermüller
- Department of Molecular Systems Biology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Germany
| | | | - Danyel Jennen
- Department of Toxicogenomics, GROW School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, The Netherlands
| | | | - Jun Kanno
- Japan Organization of Occupational Health and Safety, Japan
| | | | - Madeleine Laffont
- European Centre for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals (ECETOC), Belgium
| | | | - Richard Meehan
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, IGMM, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | | | - Stefania Perdichizzi
- Center for Environmental Toxicology, Agency for Prevention, Environment and Energy (Arpae), Emilia-Romagna, Italy
| | - Aldert H Piersma
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), The Netherlands; IRAS Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
| | | | | | - Hervé Seitz
- Institut de Génétique Humain (IGH), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - National Centre of Scientific Research (CNRS), France
| | | | | | - Weida Tong
- National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), USA
| | - Tewes Tralau
- Department of Chemical and Product Safety, German Federal Institute of Risk Assessment (BfR), Germany
| | | | - Ralf J M Weber
- Phenome Centre Birmingham, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew Worth
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, European Reference Laboratory for Alternatives to Animal Testing (EURL ECVAM), Italy
| | - Carole Yauk
- Environmental Health Science and Research Bureau, Health Canada, Canada
| | - Alan Poole
- European Centre for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals (ECETOC), Belgium.
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Renaut SD, Whiteley M. A study to support regulatory submission assessing effects of Tri(2-ethylhexyl) trimellitate (TEHTM) upon pre and post-natal development in the rat, with a comparative group receiving Di(2-ethyl hexyl) phthalate (DEHP) included. Reprod Toxicol 2017; 74:59-69. [PMID: 28870490 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2017.08.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2016] [Revised: 08/14/2017] [Accepted: 08/29/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Oral exposure of rodents to the plasticizer, Di(2-ethyl hexyl) phthalate (DEHP), elicits birth defects and effects upon the reproductive tract. There is currently limited published information regarding potential developmental effects in rodents of another phthalate ester, TEHTM.
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Jena GB, Chavan S. Implementation of Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) in basic scientific research: Translating the concept beyond regulatory compliance. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2017; 89:20-25. [PMID: 28713068 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2017.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2016] [Revised: 07/10/2017] [Accepted: 07/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The principles of Good Laboratory Practices (GLPs) are mainly intended for the laboratories performing studies for regulatory compliances. However, today GLP can be applied to broad disciplines of science to cater to the needs of the experimental objectives, generation of quality data and assay reproducibility. Considering its significance, it can now be applied in academics; industries as well as government set ups throughout the world. GLP is the best way to promote the reliability, reproducibility of the test data and hence facilitates the international acceptability. Now it is high time to translate and implement the concept of GLP beyond regulatory studies. Thus, it can pave the way for better understanding of scientific problems and help to maintain a good human and environmental health. Through this review, we have made an attempt to explore the uses of GLP principles in different fields of science and its acceptability as well as looking for its future perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- G B Jena
- Facility for Risk Assessment and Intervention Studies, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Sector-67, S.A.S. Nagar, Punjab 160062, India.
| | - Sapana Chavan
- Facility for Risk Assessment and Intervention Studies, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Sector-67, S.A.S. Nagar, Punjab 160062, India
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Bopst M, Atzpodien EA. Non-clinical safety evaluation and risk assessment to human of aleglitazar, a dual PPAR α/γ agonist, and its major human metabolite. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2017; 86:107-116. [PMID: 28274810 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2017.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2016] [Revised: 03/01/2017] [Accepted: 03/02/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The non-clinical safety profile of aleglitazar, a peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha/gamma agonist, and its major human metabolite M6 was studied in a complete package consisting of drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics characterization, safety pharmacology, genotoxicity, repeat dose toxicity, reproductive toxicity and carcinogenicity studies. These studies identified the following main targets similar to other PPAR agonists: red blood cell parameters, liver, heart, kidney, ovaries, testes, bone marrow, adipose tissue, and fluid accumulation. Additionally, and in the 12-month monkey study only, an increased incidence of generalized hair loss/thinning was observed in all groups including controls. In the rat carcinogenicity study there was no statistically significant increase in tumors. In the mouse carcinogenicity study, there was an increased incidence of angiomatous tumors and there were three males with gallbladder adenoma. No relevant compound-related effects were observed in safety pharmacology, genotoxicity, and a 28-day immunotoxicity rat study. Effects observed in reproductive toxicity studies were similar to those known for other PPARγ agonists. Separate studies with the human metabolite M6 did not reveal findings that would prevent human dosing. Overall, the results from the non-clinical safety studies conducted with aleglitazar and the human metabolite M6 were considered to support the clinical Phase 3 program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Bopst
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Elke-Astrid Atzpodien
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland.
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Vachon J, Campagna C, Rodriguez MJ, Sirard MA, Levallois P. Barriers to the use of toxicogenomics data in human health risk assessment: A survey of Canadian risk assessors. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2017; 85:119-123. [PMID: 28137640 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2017.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2016] [Revised: 11/24/2016] [Accepted: 01/25/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Regulatory agencies worldwide need to modernize human health risk assessment (HHRA) to meet challenges of the 21st century. Toxicogenomics is at the core of this improvement. Today, however, the use of toxicogenomics data in HHRA is very limited. The purpose of this survey was to identify barriers to the application of toxicogenomics data in HHRA by human health risk assessors. An online survey targeting Canadian risk assessors gathered information on their knowledge and perception of toxicogenomics, their current and future inclusion of toxicogenomics data in HHRA, and barriers to the use of such data. Twenty-nine (29) participants completed a questionnaire after 2 months of solicitation. The results show that the application of toxicogenomics data in Canada is marginal, with 85% of respondents reporting that they never or rarely used such data. Knowledge of toxicogenomics by Canadian risk assessors is also limited: about two-thirds of respondents (68%) were not at all or only slightly familiar with the concept. Lack of guidelines for toxicogenomics data interpretation, data quality assessment and on their use in HHRA, were found to be major barriers. In conclusion, there is a need for interventions aimed at facilitating the use of toxicogenomics data in HHRA, when available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Vachon
- Département de médecine sociale et préventive, Faculté de médecine, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada; Direction de la santé environnementale et de la toxicologie, Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ), Québec, QC, Canada; Axe Santé des populations et pratiques optimales en santé, Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec, Québec, QC, Canada.
| | - Céline Campagna
- Département de médecine sociale et préventive, Faculté de médecine, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada; Direction de la santé environnementale et de la toxicologie, Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ), Québec, QC, Canada.
| | - Manuel J Rodriguez
- École supérieure d'aménagement du territoire et de développement régional, Faculté d'aménagement, d'architecture, d'art et de design, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada; Chaire de recherche industrielle CRSNG, Gestion et surveillance de la qualité de l'eau potable, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.
| | - Marc-André Sirard
- Département des sciences animales, Faculté des sciences de l'agriculture et de l'alimentation, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada; Centre de recherche en reproduction, développement et santé intergénérationnelle, Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier de Québec, Québec, QC, Canada.
| | - Patrick Levallois
- Département de médecine sociale et préventive, Faculté de médecine, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada; Direction de la santé environnementale et de la toxicologie, Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ), Québec, QC, Canada; Axe Santé des populations et pratiques optimales en santé, Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec, Québec, QC, Canada.
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Gundert-Remy U, Barth H, Bürkle A, Degen GH, Landsiedel R. Toxicology: a discipline in need of academic anchoring--the point of view of the German Society of Toxicology. Arch Toxicol 2015; 89:1881-93. [PMID: 26314262 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-015-1577-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2015] [Accepted: 08/10/2015] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The paper describes the importance of toxicology as a discipline, its past achievements, current scientific challenges, and future development. Toxicological expertise is instrumental in the reduction of human health risks arising from chemicals and drugs. Toxicological assessment is needed to evaluate evidence and arguments, whether or not there is a scientific base for concern. The immense success already achieved by toxicological work is exemplified by reduced pollution of air, soil, water, and safer working places. Predominantly predictive toxicological testing is derived from the findings to assess risks to humans and the environment. Assessment of the adversity of molecular effects (including epigenetic effects), the effects of mixtures, and integration of exposure and biokinetics into in vitro testing are emerging challenges for toxicology. Toxicology is a translational science with its base in fundamental science. Academic institutions play an essential part by providing scientific innovation and education of young scientists.
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Walser T, Studer C. Sameness: The regulatory crux with nanomaterial identity and grouping schemes for hazard assessment. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2015; 72:569-71. [PMID: 26049104 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2015.05.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2015] [Revised: 05/28/2015] [Accepted: 05/31/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Regulators and industry need clear rules for identification and grouping of nanomaterials for a streamlined quantitative hazard evaluation. Therefore, we provide convincing reasons for (i) why to introduce pragmatic definition of identities for nanomaterials, (ii) how to combine them into entities, and ultimately (iii) how the entities might be evaluated with testing strategies based on clouds of similar nanomaterials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Walser
- Federal Office of Public Health, 3003 Bern, Switzerland
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Sewell F, Chapman K, Baldrick P, Brewster D, Broadmeadow A, Brown P, Burns-Naas LA, Clarke J, Constan A, Couch J, Czupalla O, Danks A, DeGeorge J, de Haan L, Hettinger K, Hill M, Festag M, Jacobs A, Jacobson-Kram D, Kopytek S, Lorenz H, Moesgaard SG, Moore E, Pasanen M, Perry R, Ragan I, Robinson S, Schmitt PM, Short B, Lima BS, Smith D, Sparrow S, van Bekkum Y, Jones D. Recommendations from a global cross-company data sharing initiative on the incorporation of recovery phase animals in safety assessment studies to support first-in-human clinical trials. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2014; 70:413-29. [PMID: 25078890 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2014.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2014] [Revised: 07/17/2014] [Accepted: 07/18/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
An international expert group which includes 30 organisations (pharmaceutical companies, contract research organisations, academic institutions and regulatory bodies) has shared data on the use of recovery animals in the assessment of pharmaceutical safety for early development. These data have been used as an evidence-base to make recommendations on the inclusion of recovery animals in toxicology studies to achieve scientific objectives, while reducing animal use. Recovery animals are used in pharmaceutical development to provide information on the potential for a toxic effect to translate into long-term human risk. They are included on toxicology studies to assess whether effects observed during dosing persist or reverse once treatment ends. The group devised a questionnaire to collect information on the use of recovery animals in general regulatory toxicology studies to support first-in-human studies. Questions focused on study design, the rationale behind inclusion or exclusion and the impact this had on internal and regulatory decisions. Data on 137 compounds (including 53 biologicals and 78 small molecules) from 259 studies showed wide variation in where, when and why recovery animals were included. An analysis of individual study and programme design shows that there are opportunities to reduce the use of recovery animals without impacting drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona Sewell
- UK National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement & Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs), Gibbs Building, 215 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE, UK.
| | - Kathryn Chapman
- UK National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement & Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs), Gibbs Building, 215 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE, UK
| | - Paul Baldrick
- Covance Laboratories Ltd, Otley Road, Harrogate HG3 1PY, UK
| | - David Brewster
- Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc., 50 Northern Avenue, Boston, MA 02139, USA
| | | | - Paul Brown
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 10903 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA
| | | | | | - Alex Constan
- Infinity Pharmaceuticals, 780 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Jessica Couch
- Genentech, Inc., 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | | | - Andy Danks
- Charles River Laboratories, Preclinical Services, Tranent, Edinburgh EH33 2NE, UK
| | - Joseph DeGeorge
- Merck, 770 Sumneytown Pike, Mailstop WP45-201, West Point, PA 19486, USA
| | | | - Klaudia Hettinger
- Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Traisengasse 5, 1200 Vienna, Austria
| | - Marilyn Hill
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR), Basel, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Festag
- Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, CH - 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Abby Jacobs
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 10903 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA
| | - David Jacobson-Kram
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 10903 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA
| | | | - Helga Lorenz
- AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Knollstrasse, 67061 Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | | | - Emma Moore
- Huntingdon Life Sciences Ltd, Alconbury, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28 4HS, UK
| | - Markku Pasanen
- University of Eastern Finland, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Rick Perry
- Pfizer Drug Safety Research and Development, 455 Eastern Point Rd., Groton, CT 06340, USA
| | - Ian Ragan
- Board member, NC3Rs, Gibbs Building, 215 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE, UK
| | - Sally Robinson
- AstraZeneca, Alderley Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4TG, UK
| | - Petra M Schmitt
- Paul-Ehrlich-Institute, Federal Agency for Vaccines and Biomedicines, Langen, Germany
| | - Brian Short
- Allergan, Drug Safety Evaluation, 2525 Dupont Dr, RD-2A, Irvine, CA 92612-1599, USA
| | | | - Diane Smith
- Millenium: The Takeda Oncology Company, 40 Landsdowne St., Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Sue Sparrow
- GlaxoSmithKline, Park Road, Ware, Hertfordshire SG12 0DP, UK
| | - Yvette van Bekkum
- Janssen Research & Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - David Jones
- Medicines Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), UK
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Forbes B, O'Lone R, Allen PP, Cahn A, Clarke C, Collinge M, Dailey LA, Donnelly LE, Dybowski J, Hassall D, Hildebrand D, Jones R, Kilgour J, Klapwijk J, Maier CC, McGovern T, Nikula K, Parry JD, Reed MD, Robinson I, Tomlinson L, Wolfreys A. Challenges for inhaled drug discovery and development: Induced alveolar macrophage responses. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2014; 71:15-33. [PMID: 24530633 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2014.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2013] [Revised: 02/01/2014] [Accepted: 02/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Alveolar macrophage (AM) responses are commonly induced in inhalation toxicology studies, typically being observed as an increase in number or a vacuolated 'foamy' morphology. Discriminating between adaptive AM responses and adverse events during nonclinical and clinical development is a major scientific challenge. When measuring and interpreting induced AM responses, an understanding of macrophage biology is essential; this includes 'sub-types' of AMs with different roles in health and disease and mechanisms of induction/resolution of AM responses to inhalation of pharmaceutical aerosols. In this context, emerging assay techniques, the utility of toxicokinetics and the requirement for new biomarkers are considered. Risk assessment for nonclinical toxicology findings and their translation to effects in humans is discussed from a scientific and regulatory perspective. At present, when apparently adaptive macrophage-only responses to inhaled investigational products are observed in nonclinical studies, this poses a challenge for risk assessment and an improved understanding of induced AM responses to inhaled pharmaceuticals is required.
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Singh KP, Gupta S. In silico prediction of toxicity of non-congeneric industrial chemicals using ensemble learning based modeling approaches. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2014; 275:198-212. [PMID: 24463095 DOI: 10.1016/j.taap.2014.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2013] [Revised: 01/04/2014] [Accepted: 01/13/2014] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Ensemble learning approach based decision treeboost (DTB) and decision tree forest (DTF) models are introduced in order to establish quantitative structure-toxicity relationship (QSTR) for the prediction of toxicity of 1450 diverse chemicals. Eight non-quantum mechanical molecular descriptors were derived. Structural diversity of the chemicals was evaluated using Tanimoto similarity index. Stochastic gradient boosting and bagging algorithms supplemented DTB and DTF models were constructed for classification and function optimization problems using the toxicity end-point in T. pyriformis. Special attention was drawn to prediction ability and robustness of the models, investigated both in external and 10-fold cross validation processes. In complete data, optimal DTB and DTF models rendered accuracies of 98.90%, 98.83% in two-category and 98.14%, 98.14% in four-category toxicity classifications. Both the models further yielded classification accuracies of 100% in external toxicity data of T. pyriformis. The constructed regression models (DTB and DTF) using five descriptors yielded correlation coefficients (R(2)) of 0.945, 0.944 between the measured and predicted toxicities with mean squared errors (MSEs) of 0.059, and 0.064 in complete T. pyriformis data. The T. pyriformis regression models (DTB and DTF) applied to the external toxicity data sets yielded R(2) and MSE values of 0.637, 0.655; 0.534, 0.507 (marine bacteria) and 0.741, 0.691; 0.155, 0.173 (algae). The results suggest for wide applicability of the inter-species models in predicting toxicity of new chemicals for regulatory purposes. These approaches provide useful strategy and robust tools in the screening of ecotoxicological risk or environmental hazard potential of chemicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kunwar P Singh
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Anusandhan Bhawan, Rafi Marg, New Delhi 110 001, India; Environmental Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Post Box 80, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Lucknow 226 001, India.
| | - Shikha Gupta
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Anusandhan Bhawan, Rafi Marg, New Delhi 110 001, India; Environmental Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Post Box 80, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Lucknow 226 001, India
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Sauer UG, Wächter T, Hareng L, Wareing B, Langsch A, Zschunke M, Alvers MR, Landsiedel R. Automatic sorting of toxicological information into the IUCLID (International Uniform Chemical Information Database) endpoint-categories making use of the semantic search engine Go3R. Toxicol In Vitro 2014; 28:571-87. [PMID: 24389116 DOI: 10.1016/j.tiv.2013.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2013] [Revised: 12/03/2013] [Accepted: 12/23/2013] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The knowledge-based search engine Go3R, www.Go3R.org, has been developed to assist scientists from industry and regulatory authorities in collecting comprehensive toxicological information with a special focus on identifying available alternatives to animal testing. The semantic search paradigm of Go3R makes use of expert knowledge on 3Rs methods and regulatory toxicology, laid down in the ontology, a network of concepts, terms, and synonyms, to recognize the contents of documents. Search results are automatically sorted into a dynamic table of contents presented alongside the list of documents retrieved. This table of contents allows the user to quickly filter the set of documents by topics of interest. Documents containing hazard information are automatically assigned to a user interface following the endpoint-specific IUCLID5 categorization scheme required, e.g. for REACH registration dossiers. For this purpose, complex endpoint-specific search queries were compiled and integrated into the search engine (based upon a gold standard of 310 references that had been assigned manually to the different endpoint categories). Go3R sorts 87% of the references concordantly into the respective IUCLID5 categories. Currently, Go3R searches in the 22 million documents available in the PubMed and TOXNET databases. However, it can be customized to search in other databases including in-house databanks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ursula G Sauer
- Scientific Consultancy - Animal Welfare, Neubiberg, Germany
| | - Thomas Wächter
- Biotechnology Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany; Transinsight GmbH, Dresden, Germany
| | - Lars Hareng
- BASF SE, Product Safety - Experimental Toxicology and Ecology, Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | - Britta Wareing
- BASF SE, Product Safety - Experimental Toxicology and Ecology, Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | - Angelika Langsch
- BASF SE, Product Safety - Experimental Toxicology and Ecology, Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | | | | | - Robert Landsiedel
- BASF SE, Product Safety - Experimental Toxicology and Ecology, Ludwigshafen, Germany.
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Roberts SA, Andrews PA, Blanset D, Flagella KM, Gorovits B, Lynch CM, Martin PL, Kramer-Stickland K, Thibault S, Warner G. Considerations for the nonclinical safety evaluation of antibody drug conjugates for oncology. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2013; 67:382-91. [PMID: 24012707 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2013.08.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2013] [Revised: 08/06/2013] [Accepted: 08/27/2013] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) include monoclonal antibodies that are linked to cytotoxic small molecules. A number of these agents are currently being developed as anti-cancer agents designed to improve the therapeutic index of the cytotoxin (i.e., cytotoxic small molecule or cytotoxic agent) by specifically delivering it to tumor cells. This paper presents primary considerations for the nonclinical safety evaluation of ADCs and includes strategies for the evaluation of the entire ADC or the various individual components (i.e., antibody, linker or the cytotoxin). Considerations are presented on how to design a nonclinical safety assessment program to identify the on- and off-target toxicities to enable first-in-human (FIH) studies. Specific discussions are also included that provide details as to the need and how to conduct the studies for evaluating ADCs in genetic toxicology, tissue cross-reactivity, safety pharmacology, carcinogenicity, developmental and reproductive toxicology, biotransformation, toxicokinetic monitoring, bioanalytical assays, immunogenicity testing, test article stability and the selection of the FIH dose. Given the complexity of these molecules and our evolving understanding of their properties, there is no single all-encompassing nonclinical strategy. Instead, each ADC should be evaluated on a case-by-case scientifically-based approach that is consistent with ICH and animal research guidelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanley A Roberts
- SAR Safety Assessment, 14677 Via Bettona, Suite #100 - 432, San Diego, CA 92127, USA.
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de Vendômois JS, Cellier D, Vélot C, Clair E, Mesnage R, Séralini GE. Debate on GMOs health risks after statistical findings in regulatory tests. Int J Biol Sci 2010; 6:590-8. [PMID: 20941377 PMCID: PMC2952409 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.6.590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2010] [Accepted: 09/24/2010] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
We summarize the major points of international debate on health risk studies for the main commercialized edible GMOs. These GMOs are soy, maize and oilseed rape designed to contain new pesticide residues since they have been modified to be herbicide-tolerant (mostly to Roundup) or to produce mutated Bt toxins. The debated alimentary chronic risks may come from unpredictable insertional mutagenesis effects, metabolic effects, or from the new pesticide residues. The most detailed regulatory tests on the GMOs are three-month long feeding trials of laboratory rats, which are biochemically assessed. The tests are not compulsory, and are not independently conducted. The test data and the corresponding results are kept in secret by the companies. Our previous analyses of regulatory raw data at these levels, taking the representative examples of three GM maize NK 603, MON 810, and MON 863 led us to conclude that hepatorenal toxicities were possible, and that longer testing was necessary. Our study was criticized by the company developing the GMOs in question and the regulatory bodies, mainly on the divergent biological interpretations of statistically significant biochemical and physiological effects. We present the scientific reasons for the crucially different biological interpretations and also highlight the shortcomings in the experimental protocols designed by the company. The debate implies an enormous responsibility towards public health and is essential due to nonexistent traceability or epidemiological studies in the GMO-producing countries.
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