Intersection of toxicogenomics and high throughput screening in the Tox21 program: an NIEHS perspective.
Humans are exposed to thousands of chemicals with inadequate toxicological data. Advances in computational toxicology, robotic high throughput screening (HTS), and genome-wide expression have been integrated into the Tox21 program to better predict the toxicological effects of chemicals. Tox21 is a collaboration among US government agencies initiated in 2008 that aims to shift chemical hazard assessment from traditional animal toxicology to target-specific, mechanism-based, biological observations usingin vitroassays and lower organism models. HTS uses biocomputational methods for probing thousands of chemicals inin vitroassays for gene-pathway response patterns predictive of adverse human health outcomes. In 1999, NIEHS began exploring the application of toxicogenomics to toxicology and recent advances in NextGen sequencing should greatly enhance the biological content obtained from HTS platforms. We foresee an intersection of new technologies in toxicogenomics and HTS as an innovative development in Tox21. Tox21 goals, priorities, progress, and challenges will be reviewed.
Biomolecular Screening Branch, Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA.
B Alex
BA
Merrick
Biomolecular Screening Branch, Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA.
Richard S
RS
Paules
Biomolecular Screening Branch, Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA.
Raymond R
RR
Tice
NextGen sequencing; Tox21; high throughput screening; in vitro; pathways; robotics; toxicogenomics; toxicology