title: In vitro testicular toxicity models: opportunities for advancement via biomedical engineering techniques.
abstract: To address the pressing need for better in vitro testicular toxicity models, a workshop sponsored by the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI), the Health and Environmental Science Institute (HESI), and the Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT), was held at the Mt. Washington Conference Center in Baltimore, MD, USA on October 26-27, 2011. At this workshop, experts in testis physiology, toxicology, and tissue engineering discussed approaches for creating improved in vitro environments that would be more conducive to maintaining spermatogenesis and steroidogenesis and could provide more predictive models for testicular toxicity testing. This workshop report is intended to provide scientists with a broad overview of relevant testicular toxicity literature and to suggest opportunities where bioengineering principles and techniques could be used to build improved in vitro testicular models for safety evaluation. Tissue engineering techniques could, conceivably, be immediately implemented to improve existing models. However, it is likely that in vitro testis models that use single or multiple cell types will be needed to address such endpoints as accurate prediction of chemically induced testicular toxicity in humans, elucidation of mechanisms of toxicity, and identification of possible biomarkers of testicular toxicity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Development & Reproduction, Merck & Co., West Point, PA, USA. louise.saldutti@merck.com
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Parks Saldutti
authors.forename: Bruce K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Beyer
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Breslin
authors.forename: Terry R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Chapin
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Campion
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Enright
authors.forename: Elaine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Faustman
authors.forename: Paul M D
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hartung
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kelce
authors.forename: James H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Elizabeth G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Loboa
authors.forename: Aldert H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Piersma
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Seyler
authors.forename: Katie J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: Hanry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Xiaozhong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Jennifer C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Sasaki
mesh_terms: D000826:Animal Testing Alternatives; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D013737:Testis / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D018675:Toxicity Tests / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D004785:Environmental Pollutants