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Maertens A, Golden E, Luechtefeld TH, Hoffmann S, Tsaioun K, Hartung T. Probabilistic risk assessment - the keystone for the future of toxicology. ALTEX 2022; 39:3-29. [PMID: 35034131 PMCID: PMC8906258 DOI: 10.14573/altex.2201081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Safety sciences must cope with uncertainty of models and results as well as information gaps. Acknowledging this uncer-tainty necessitates embracing probabilities and accepting the remaining risk. Every toxicological tool delivers only probable results. Traditionally, this is taken into account by using uncertainty / assessment factors and worst-case / precautionary approaches and thresholds. Probabilistic methods and Bayesian approaches seek to characterize these uncertainties and promise to support better risk assessment and, thereby, improve risk management decisions. Actual assessments of uncertainty can be more realistic than worst-case scenarios and may allow less conservative safety margins. Most importantly, as soon as we agree on uncertainty, this defines room for improvement and allows a transition from traditional to new approach methods as an engineering exercise. The objective nature of these mathematical tools allows to assign each methodology its fair place in evidence integration, whether in the context of risk assessment, sys-tematic reviews, or in the definition of an integrated testing strategy (ITS) / defined approach (DA) / integrated approach to testing and assessment (IATA). This article gives an overview of methods for probabilistic risk assessment and their application for exposure assessment, physiologically-based kinetic modelling, probability of hazard assessment (based on quantitative and read-across based structure-activity relationships, and mechanistic alerts from in vitro studies), indi-vidual susceptibility assessment, and evidence integration. Additional aspects are opportunities for uncertainty analysis of adverse outcome pathways and their relation to thresholds of toxicological concern. In conclusion, probabilistic risk assessment will be key for constructing a new toxicology paradigm - probably!
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Maertens
- Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT), Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Emily Golden
- Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT), Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Thomas H. Luechtefeld
- Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT), Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- ToxTrack, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Sebastian Hoffmann
- Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT), Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- seh consulting + services, Paderborn, Germany
| | - Katya Tsaioun
- Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT), Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Thomas Hartung
- Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT), Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- CAAT Europe, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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Zayas-Cabán T, Haque SN, Kemper N. Identifying Opportunities for Workflow Automation in Health Care: Lessons Learned from Other Industries. Appl Clin Inform 2021; 12:686-697. [PMID: 34320683 PMCID: PMC8318703 DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1731744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Background
Workflow automation, which involves identifying sequences of tasks that can be streamlined by using technology and modern computing, offers opportunities to address the United States health care system's challenges with quality, safety, and efficiency. Other industries have successfully implemented workflow automation to address these concerns, and lessons learned from those experiences may inform its application in health care.
Objective
Our aim was to identify and synthesize (1) current approaches in workflow automation across industries, (2) opportunities for applying workflow automation in health care, and (3) considerations for designing and implementing workflow automation that may be relevant to health care.
Methods
We conducted a targeted review of peer-reviewed and gray literature on automation approaches. We identified relevant databases and terms to conduct the searches across sources and reviewed abstracts to identify 123 relevant articles across 11 disciplines.
Results
Workflow automation is used across industries such as finance, manufacturing, and travel to increase efficiency, productivity, and quality. We found automation ranged from low to full automation, and this variation was associated with task and technology characteristics. The level of automation is linked to how well a task is defined, whether a task is repetitive, the degree of human intervention and decision-making required, and the sophistication of available technology. We found that identifying automation goals and assessing whether those goals were reached was critical, and ongoing monitoring and improvement would help to ensure successful automation.
Conclusion
Use of workflow automation in other industries can inform automating health care workflows by considering the critical role of people, process, and technology in design, testing, implementation, use, and ongoing monitoring of automated workflows. Insights gained from other industries will inform an interdisciplinary effort by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology to outline priorities for advancing health care workflow automation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Zayas-Cabán
- Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Washington, District of Columbia, United States
| | - Saira Naim Haque
- RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, United States
| | - Nicole Kemper
- Clinovations Government + Health, Washington, District of Columbia, United States
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Dorne JLCM, Richardson J, Livaniou A, Carnesecchi E, Ceriani L, Baldin R, Kovarich S, Pavan M, Saouter E, Biganzoli F, Pasinato L, Zare Jeddi M, Robinson TP, Kass GEN, Liem AKD, Toropov AA, Toropova AP, Yang C, Tarkhov A, Georgiadis N, Di Nicola MR, Mostrag A, Verhagen H, Roncaglioni A, Benfenati E, Bassan A. EFSA's OpenFoodTox: An open source toxicological database on chemicals in food and feed and its future developments. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2021; 146:106293. [PMID: 33395940 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2020] [Revised: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Since its creation in 2002, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has produced risk assessments for over 5000 substances in >2000 Scientific Opinions, Statements and Conclusions through the work of its Scientific Panels, Units and Scientific Committee. OpenFoodTox is an open source toxicological database, available both for download and data visualisation which provides data for all substances evaluated by EFSA including substance characterisation, links to EFSA's outputs, applicable legislations regulations, and a summary of hazard identification and hazard characterisation data for human health, animal health and ecological assessments. The database has been structured using OECD harmonised templates for reporting chemical test summaries (OHTs) to facilitate data sharing with stakeholders with an interest in chemical risk assessment, such as sister agencies, international scientific advisory bodies, and others. This manuscript provides a description of OpenFoodTox including data model, content and tools to download and search the database. Examples of applications of OpenFoodTox in chemical risk assessment are discussed including new quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models, integration into tools (OECD QSAR Toolbox and AMBIT-2.0), assessment of environmental footprints and testing of threshold of toxicological concern (TTC) values for food related compounds. Finally, future developments for OpenFoodTox 2.0 include the integration of new properties, such as physico-chemical properties, exposure data, toxicokinetic information; and the future integration within in silico modelling platforms such as QSAR models and physiologically-based kinetic models. Such structured in vivo, in vitro and in silico hazard data provide different lines of evidence which can be assembled, weighed and integrated using harmonised Weight of Evidence approaches to support the use of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) in chemical risk assessment and the reduction of animal testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- J L C M Dorne
- European Food Safety Authority, Via Carlo Magno, 1A, 43126 Parma, Italy.
| | - J Richardson
- European Food Safety Authority, Via Carlo Magno, 1A, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - A Livaniou
- European Food Safety Authority, Via Carlo Magno, 1A, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - E Carnesecchi
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologico Mario Negri, Via La Masa 19, 20156 Milano, Italy; Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, PO Box 80177, 3508 TD Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - L Ceriani
- S-IN Soluzioni Informatiche, Via Ferrari 14, 36100 Vicenza, Italy
| | - R Baldin
- S-IN Soluzioni Informatiche, Via Ferrari 14, 36100 Vicenza, Italy
| | - S Kovarich
- S-IN Soluzioni Informatiche, Via Ferrari 14, 36100 Vicenza, Italy
| | - M Pavan
- S-IN Soluzioni Informatiche, Via Ferrari 14, 36100 Vicenza, Italy
| | - E Saouter
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy
| | - F Biganzoli
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy
| | - L Pasinato
- European Food Safety Authority, Via Carlo Magno, 1A, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - M Zare Jeddi
- European Food Safety Authority, Via Carlo Magno, 1A, 43126 Parma, Italy; Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologico Mario Negri, Via La Masa 19, 20156 Milano, Italy
| | - T P Robinson
- European Food Safety Authority, Via Carlo Magno, 1A, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - G E N Kass
- European Food Safety Authority, Via Carlo Magno, 1A, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - A K D Liem
- European Food Safety Authority, Via Carlo Magno, 1A, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - A A Toropov
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologico Mario Negri, Via La Masa 19, 20156 Milano, Italy
| | - A P Toropova
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologico Mario Negri, Via La Masa 19, 20156 Milano, Italy
| | - C Yang
- MN-AM, 90411 Nürnberg, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | - H Verhagen
- European Food Safety Authority, Via Carlo Magno, 1A, 43126 Parma, Italy; University of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - A Roncaglioni
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologico Mario Negri, Via La Masa 19, 20156 Milano, Italy
| | - E Benfenati
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologico Mario Negri, Via La Masa 19, 20156 Milano, Italy
| | - A Bassan
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, PO Box 80177, 3508 TD Utrecht, the Netherlands
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Saldívar-González FI, Huerta-García CS, Medina-Franco JL. Chemoinformatics-based enumeration of chemical libraries: a tutorial. J Cheminform 2020; 12:64. [PMID: 33372622 PMCID: PMC7590480 DOI: 10.1186/s13321-020-00466-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Virtual compound libraries are increasingly being used in computer-assisted drug discovery applications and have led to numerous successful cases. This paper aims to examine the fundamental concepts of library design and describe how to enumerate virtual libraries using open source tools. To exemplify the enumeration of chemical libraries, we emphasize the use of pre-validated or reported reactions and accessible chemical reagents. This tutorial shows a step-by-step procedure for anyone interested in designing and building chemical libraries with or without chemoinformatics experience. The aim is to explore various methodologies proposed by synthetic organic chemists and explore affordable chemical space using open-access chemoinformatics tools. As part of the tutorial, we discuss three examples of design: a Diversity-Oriented-Synthesis library based on lactams, a bis-heterocyclic combinatorial library, and a set of target-oriented molecules: isoindolinone based compounds as potential acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. This manuscript also seeks to contribute to the critical task of teaching and learning chemoinformatics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernanda I. Saldívar-González
- DIFACQUIM Research Group, School of Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Universidad 3000, 04510 Mexico, Mexico
| | - C. Sebastian Huerta-García
- School of Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Universidad 3000, 04510 Mexico, Mexico
| | - José L. Medina-Franco
- DIFACQUIM Research Group, School of Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Universidad 3000, 04510 Mexico, Mexico
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Nikolic M, Sustersic T, Filipovic N. In vitro Models and On-Chip Systems: Biomaterial Interaction Studies With Tissues Generated Using Lung Epithelial and Liver Metabolic Cell Lines. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2018; 6:120. [PMID: 30234106 PMCID: PMC6129577 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2018.00120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In vitro models are very important in medicine and biology, because they provide an insight into cells' and microorganisms' behavior. Since these cells and microorganisms are isolated from their natural environment, these models may not completely or precisely predict the effects on the entire organism. Improvement in this area is secured by organ-on-a-chip development. The organ-on-a-chip assumes cells cultured in a microfluidic chip. The chip simulates bioactivities, mechanics and physiological behavior of organs or organ systems, generating artificial organs in that way. There are several cell lines used so far for each tested artificial organ. For lungs, mostly used cell lines are 16HBE, A549, Calu-3, NHBE, while mostly used cell lines for liver are HepG2, Hep 3B, TPH1, etc. In this paper, state of the art for lung and liver organ-on-a-chip is presented, together with the established in vitro testing on lung and liver cell lines, with the emphasis on Calu-3 (for lung cell lines) and Hep-G2 (for liver cell lines). Primary focus in this review is to discuss different researches on the topics of lung and liver cell line models, approaches in determining fate and transport, cell partitioning, cell growth and division, as well as cell dynamics, meaning toxicity and effects. The review is finalized with current research gaps and problems, stating potential future developments in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milica Nikolic
- Faculty of Engineering, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
- Steinbeis Advanced Risk Technologies Institute doo Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
| | - Tijana Sustersic
- Faculty of Engineering, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
- Steinbeis Advanced Risk Technologies Institute doo Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
- Bioengineering Research and Development Center, Kragujevac, Serbia
| | - Nenad Filipovic
- Faculty of Engineering, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
- Steinbeis Advanced Risk Technologies Institute doo Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
- Bioengineering Research and Development Center, Kragujevac, Serbia
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Clark RD. Predicting mammalian metabolism and toxicity of pesticides in silico. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2018; 74:1992-2003. [PMID: 29762898 PMCID: PMC6099302 DOI: 10.1002/ps.4935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2017] [Revised: 04/02/2018] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Pesticides must be effective to be commercially viable but they must also be reasonably safe for those who manufacture them, apply them, or consume the food they are used to produce. Animal testing is key to ensuring safety, but it comes late in the agrochemical development process, is expensive, and requires relatively large amounts of material. Surrogate assays used as in vitro models require less material and shift identification of potential mammalian toxicity back to earlier stages in development. Modern in silico methods are cost-effective complements to such in vitro models that make it possible to predict mammalian metabolism, toxicity and exposure for a pesticide, crop residue or other metabolite before it has been synthesized. Their broader use could substantially reduce the amount of time and effort wasted in pesticide development. This contribution reviews the kind of in silico models that are currently available for vetting ideas about what to synthesize and how to focus development efforts; the limitations of those models; and the practical considerations that have slowed development in the area. Detailed discussions are provided of how bacterial mutagenicity, human cytochrome P450 (CYP) metabolism, and bioavailability in humans and rats can be predicted. © 2018 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
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Bell SM, Chang X, Wambaugh JF, Allen DG, Bartels M, Brouwer KLR, Casey WM, Choksi N, Ferguson SS, Fraczkiewicz G, Jarabek AM, Ke A, Lumen A, Lynn SG, Paini A, Price PS, Ring C, Simon TW, Sipes NS, Sprankle CS, Strickland J, Troutman J, Wetmore BA, Kleinstreuer NC. In vitro to in vivo extrapolation for high throughput prioritization and decision making. Toxicol In Vitro 2017; 47:213-227. [PMID: 29203341 DOI: 10.1016/j.tiv.2017.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 146] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2017] [Revised: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 11/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
In vitro chemical safety testing methods offer the potential for efficient and economical tools to provide relevant assessments of human health risk. To realize this potential, methods are needed to relate in vitro effects to in vivo responses, i.e., in vitro to in vivo extrapolation (IVIVE). Currently available IVIVE approaches need to be refined before they can be utilized for regulatory decision-making. To explore the capabilities and limitations of IVIVE within this context, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development and the National Toxicology Program Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods co-organized a workshop and webinar series. Here, we integrate content from the webinars and workshop to discuss activities and resources that would promote inclusion of IVIVE in regulatory decision-making. We discuss properties of models that successfully generate predictions of in vivo doses from effective in vitro concentration, including the experimental systems that provide input parameters for these models, areas of success, and areas for improvement to reduce model uncertainty. Finally, we provide case studies on the uses of IVIVE in safety assessments, which highlight the respective differences, information requirements, and outcomes across various approaches when applied for decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon M Bell
- 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.
| | - John F Wambaugh
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 109 T.W. Alexander Dr., Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - David G Allen
- Integrated Laboratory Systems, Inc., P.O. Box 13501, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | | | - Kim L R Brouwer
- UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Campus Box 7569, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
| | - Warren M 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.
| | - Neepa Choksi
- Integrated Laboratory Systems, Inc., P.O. Box 13501, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - Stephen S Ferguson
- National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, P.O. Box 12233, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | | | - Annie M Jarabek
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 109 T.W. Alexander Dr., Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - Alice Ke
- Simcyp Limited (a Certara company), John Street, Sheffield, S2 4SU, United Kingdom.
| | - Annie Lumen
- National Center for Toxicological Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 3900 NCTR Road, Jefferson, AR 72079, USA.
| | - Scott G Lynn
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, William Jefferson Clinton Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460, USA.
| | - Alicia Paini
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Directorate Health, Consumers and Reference Materials, Chemical Safety and Alternative Methods Unit incorporating EURL ECVAM, Via E. Fermi 2749, Ispra, Varese 20127, Italy.
| | - Paul S Price
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 109 T.W. Alexander Dr., Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - Caroline Ring
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, P.O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA.
| | - Ted W Simon
- Ted Simon LLC, 4184 Johnston Road, Winston, GA 30187, USA.
| | - Nisha S Sipes
- National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, P.O. Box 12233, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - Catherine S Sprankle
- Integrated Laboratory Systems, Inc., P.O. Box 13501, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - Judy Strickland
- Integrated Laboratory Systems, Inc., P.O. Box 13501, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - John Troutman
- Central Product Safety, The Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, OH 45202, USA.
| | - Barbara A Wetmore
- ScitoVation LLC, 6 Davis Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
| | - Nicole C 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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Theoretical and mathematical foundation of the Virtual Cell Based Assay – A review. Toxicol In Vitro 2017; 45:209-221. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tiv.2016.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2015] [Revised: 07/20/2016] [Accepted: 07/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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