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Advancing the adverse outcome pathway framework: An international horizon scanning approach
Citation:
LaLone, C., G. Ankley, S. Belanger, M. Embry, G. Hodges, D. Knapen, S. Munn, E. Perkins, M. Rudd, Dan Villeneuve, M. Whelan, C. Willett, X. Zhang, AND M. Hecker. Advancing the adverse outcome pathway framework: An international horizon scanning approach. Society of Toxicology, San Antonio, TX, March 11 - 15, 2018.
Impact/Purpose:
Input on a particular topic from stakeholders with a variety of backgrounds and geographic locations can lead to new ideas to advance a science field. A horizon scanning exercise, used to collect questions pertinent to a specific topic, can be useful in gathering information from a broad group of people, with the intent of gathering new ideas. In this case, horizon scanning was used to understand how researchers and regulators perceive the status and future directions for the adverse outcome pathway (AOP) framework. The results of the horizon scanning exercise were used as a means to guide discussion topics at an expert workshop. The AOP framework helps scientists gather information about a biological pathway in a consistent format that can be useful for making regulatory decisions about the importance of that pathway and effects to organism upon its disruption by chemical and non-chemical stressors. Advancing the ability to use biological pathway information for regulatory decision-making was the driving force in creating the framework, therefore it was important to ask the greater scientific and regulatory community to identify limitations or challenges they believe need attention to achieve this goal. Experts were then used to rank and prioritize the submitted questions and identify those most critical to the success of the AOP framework in aiding research and regulatory decision-making. This research directly supports the Chemical Safety for Sustainability Research Program Project 17.01: Adverse outcome pathway discovery and development.
Description:
In 2016, an international multi-sector steering committee focusing on the development of a Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC) Pellston™ Workshop reached out to the membership of the Society of Toxicology, as well as other national and international scientific and regulatory communities, to assess the state of the science for the adverse outcome pathway (AOP) framework. This initiative aimed to collect questions, via a web-based Horizon Scanning effort, to provide an opportunity to understand key outstanding challenges that must be addressed in order to realize the full potential of the AOP framework in research and regulatory decision-making. During this Horizon Scanning effort, a total of 340 valid questions were received and ranked by an international expert group from academia, government, industry, and Non-Governmental Organizations. This ranking exercise resulted in the identification of four distinct but connected themes that were addressed during the SETAC Pellston™ Workshop held in April 2017. Outcomes from discussions on each theme will be summarized in the subsequent presentations addressing: 1) AOP networks and their applications ; 2) quantitative AOPs and their applications; 3) regulatory use of the AOP framework; and 4) the development of a roadmap to expand awareness of, involvement in, and application of the AOP framework and AOP knowledgebase in the broader scientific and regulatory/environmental policy communities. Furthermore, the Horizon Scanning exercise provided the opportunity to identify common misperceptions and AOP topics needing clarification, as well as bring forth new thinking to advance the science and discuss the path forward for the AOP framework. This introductory presentation will provide an overview of the Horizon Scanning approach and expert ranking exercise, and the overall outcomes and common themes that emerged during these exercises and the Pellston™ Workshop. It will set the stage for the subsequent presentations that each address one of the four main themes listed above. Cross-cutting topics that spanned these main themes included the need to simplify, translate, and better communicate the AOP framework to the broader international stakeholder community, and a consensus that the AOP framework does not represent a rigid tool but rather a knowledge repository for diverse stakeholders ranging from epidemiologists to mainstream experimental toxicologist to risk assessors and managers. Furthermore, when considering the AOP framework and its applications, the field of environmental toxicology and human health have begun to naturally merge in light of methodologies focusing on mechanisms of toxicity brought about from the paradigm shift of toxicology in the 21st century. The audience will be engaged in identifying additional priority questions for moving the AOP framework forward and proposing next steps.