You are here:
EMERGING MOLECULAR AND COMPUTATIONAL APPROACHES FOR CROSS-SPECIES EXTRAPLATIONS: A WORKSHOP SUMMARY REPORT
Citation:
Benson, W H., R. DiGuilio, J. C. Cook, J. Freedman, R. Malek, C. Thompson, AND D. Versteeg. EMERGING MOLECULAR AND COMPUTATIONAL APPROACHES FOR CROSS-SPECIES EXTRAPLATIONS: A WORKSHOP SUMMARY REPORT. Presented at Fourth SETAC World Congress, Portland, OR, November 14 - 18, 2004.
Impact/Purpose:
Conference abstract
Description:
Benson, W.H., R.T. Di Giulio, J.C. Cook, J. Freedman, R.L. Malek, C. Thompson and D. Versteeg. In press. Emerging Molecular and Computational Approaches for Cross-Species Extrapolations: A Workshop Summary Report (Abstract). To be presented at the SETAC Fourth World Congress, 14-18 November 2004, Portland, OR. 2 p. (ERL,GB R1003).
Similarities and differences in genomic responses among organisms to environmental pressure reflect the most basic inter-species interconnectivity. Advances in molecular technology have led to the elucidation of full genomic sequences of several multicellular organisms, ranging from nematodes to man. The related molecular fields of proteomics and metabonomics are now beginning to advance rapidly as well. In addition, advances in bioinformatics and mathematical modeling provide powerful approaches for elucidating patterns of biological response imbedded in the massive data sets produced during genomics research. Thus, changes or differences in the expression patterns of entire genomes at the levels of mRNA, protein and metabolism can quickly be assessed. Collectively, these emerging approaches greatly enhance our ability to address many of the major issues in human and environmental toxicology. Specifically, they are uniquely qualified to address the issue of cross-species extrapolation in risk assessment in both human and environmental toxicology. Moreover, these approaches provide a powerful means for elucidating interconnections between human health and ecological integrity. Given the significance of this topic to human and environmental toxicology, it was clear that SETAC and SOT were the appropriate societies to be a leading force behind the organization of a Pellston style workshop as a means to provide the ideal vehicle for objective and balanced discussion of this topic among professionals from different yet highly inter-related disciplines. The overall goal of the workshop was to outline a research agenda utilizing emerging technologies in omics and computational biology in order to: 1) elucidate similarities and differences among species to stressors, and relate the responses to phenotype, 2) take advantage of omic approaches to develop interconnections between human health and ecological integrity paradigm, and 3) extend this science into innovative approaches to risk assessment and regulatory decision-making. This presentation will provide a summary of the workshop.