You are here:
Case study in the application of “systematic methods” to adverse outcome pathway development: AOPs relevant to ecological effects of PFAS
Citation:
Villeneuve, Dan, G. Ankley, J. Hoang, K. Jensen, R. Kutsi, A. Kittelson, M. Ellman, J. Collins, AND J. Olker. Case study in the application of “systematic methods” to adverse outcome pathway development: AOPs relevant to ecological effects of PFAS. EPA Systematic Review Community of Practice, NA, MN, September 13, 2022. https://doi.org/10.23645/epacomptox.21234405
Impact/Purpose:
Presentation to the EPA Systematic Review Community of Practice September 2022. The adverse outcome pathway (AOP) framework is being employed to organize scientific knowledge and evidence that support use of data from “new approach methodologies” for risk-based decision-making related to potential impacts of chemical and non-chemical stressors. However, the scientific credibility of AOPs is dependent on the quality of the information assembled and transparency with regard to the approach and scope of the searches used to identify pertinent literature and criterion used to define relevance to the pathway being described. The current presentation provides examples of the incorporation of systematic review approaches and tools into the process of the AOP development. The presentation is expected to inform EPA systematic review community of practice about ways that AOP developers can benefit from approaches and tools developed to support systematic reviews, as well as outline some of the differences in objectives of AOP development versus stressor-specific assessments for which systematic review methods are often employed.
Description:
The adverse outcome pathway (AOP) framework provides a systematic approach for organizing biological knowledge and evidence causally linking molecular and biochemical effects of stressors to adverse effects on human health and/or ecosystems. Molecular screening assays are being applied in a tiered approach to help group per and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) and understand their hazards. This presentation provides an overview of recent efforts to develop AOPs relevant to ecological effects of PFAS chemicals. Systematic review-like approaches and a key event relationship-by-key event relationship approach to AOP development was employed. The approach was effective in facilitating collaborative AOP development and recent changes to the AOP-Wiki provide fields for describing the methods used for both AOP development and evidence assembly. The case example illustrates how AOPs developed through systematic literature review can help support greater use of new approach methodologies in chemical hazard identification. The contents of this abstract neither represent, nor necessarily reflect, US EPA policy.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Case study in the application of “systematic methods” to adverse outcome pathway development: AOPs relevant to ecological effects of PFAS
VILLENEUVE_SYSTEMATIC METHODS CASE STUDY 2022-09-13_V2.PDF (PDF, NA pp, 3078.225 KB, about PDF)