Future platforms for toxicity testing

摘要

The toxicology community is in the midst of a paradigm shift, moving from high-dose testing in animals with extrapolation to expected responses in humans to an in vitro approach based on a mechanistic understanding of key toxicity pathways. Tools such as cell-based assays that interrogate specific toxicity pathways, multi-omics technologies, bioinformatics, and computational systems modelling enable deeper understanding of human biology at the molecular level. Integration of these tools provides a powerful new approach to toxicity testing. The tools and technologies used in toxicity testing platforms are continuously emerging, evolving, and being applied in novel ways. The goal of this article is to: 1) describe recently emerged technologies; 2) highlight advances in various existing platforms; 3) provide relevant examples of how these platform components are currently being applied in toxicity testing; 4) discuss advantages and limitations of each platform and identify gaps where further developments are required.