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Toward Precision Toxicology: New Approach Methodologies for Chemical Safety

Project description

Chemical safety assessment without animal testing

The EU aims to promote alternative methods to animal testing. EU-funded PrecisionTox proposes 'precision toxicology', a novel scientific approach establishing causation between chemicals and their adverse health effects. The project focuses on human cell lines and a diverse suite of biomedical model organisms, i.e. fruit flies, water fleas, round worms and embryos of zebrafish and frogs, which share many genes with humans by evolution. These 3Rs compliant, cost-effective testing models enable the mapping of origins of toxicity pathways on the branches of the animal evolutionary tree to predict health risks to humans. By providing data where the toxicity of substances is unknown, PrecisionTox will ultimately translate into regulatory and industrial practices that better protect human health and the environment.

Objective

The goal of PrecisionTox is to advance safety assessment of chemicals without the use of animal testing by establishing a new, 3Rs-compliant, cost-effective testing paradigm for chemical safety assessment — Precision Toxicology — that identifies molecular key event (KE) biomarkers predictive of chemically induced adverse health effects in humans and facilitates their uptake into regulatory and industry practice. This goal is supported by three core concepts: PhyloToxicology, which replaces mammal models with an evolutionarily diverse suite of non-sentient animal species from across the tree of life; Quantitative Susceptibility, which determines safety factors based on genetic variability; and Embedded Translation, which engages key stakeholders in project planning, selection of chemicals for investigation, and case studies for regulatory application. We accomplish this goal through six objectives:
● Stakeholder Integration, embedding the Stakeholder Advisory Group in project management (WP1);
● Comparative Toxicology, utilising high-throughput testing methods across five non-sentient species and human cell lines to observe toxic response (WP2);
● Molecular Data Production, applying metabolomics and transcriptomics to comparative toxicology samples to trace adverse outcomes via the molecular key events preceding them (WP3);
● Quantitative Susceptibility, applying quantitative genetics and gene expression profiling to understand variation in individual susceptibility and develop empirical exposure thresholds (WP4);
● Biomarker Discovery, PrecisionTox Data Commons, and NAM Toolbox, using machine learning to identify biomarkers for molecular key events and creating the dissemination and translation products for their use (WP5); and
● Regulatory Analysis and Application, partnering with JRC and regulatory agencies to identify opportunities for applying Precision Toxicology within existing regulatory structures and develop draft guidance for industry use and reporting (WP6).

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

RIA - Research and Innovation action

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-SC1-BHC-2018-2020

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Coordinator

THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 5 146 897,50
Address
Edgbaston
B15 2TT Birmingham
United Kingdom

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Region
West Midlands (England) West Midlands Birmingham
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 5 146 897,50

Participants (14)

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