New methods can predict chemical toxicity without animal testing

Researchers at the United States' National Institutes of Health have developed cell based methods to predict how toxic chemical compounds are to humans without the need for animal testing, according to a study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.

The researchers tested over 10,000 chemicals as part of the Tox21 project that sought to develop better methods of testing the toxicity of compounds such as pesticides, industrial chemicals, food additives and drugs.

They tested the activity of the chemicals in 15 different concentrations as they interacted with 30 targets, such as nuclear receptors or cellular pathways in human cells.

The researchers generated more than 50 million data points, which they combined with data on the structure of the chemicals to create toxicity models that might be used to predict adverse health outcomes of the chemical compounds in animals or humans, according to the study.

The researchers found that their models were able to predict both human and animal toxicity, when these results were compared to toxicity data derived from animal testing or as a result of known exposure effects in humans.

Although these results need to be further tested using additional pathways and targets, the cell-based methods can be used in toxicological testing, and could help prioritize which compounds to select for more in-depth toxicological testing, said the researchers. Endit