Translational toxicology: a developmental focus for integrated research strategies.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Given that toxicology studies the potential adverse effects of environmental
exposures on various forms of life and that clinical toxicology typically focuses
on human health effects, what can and should the relatively new term of "translational
toxicology" be taken to mean? DISCUSSION: Our assertion is that the core concept of
translational toxicology must incorporate existing principles of toxicology and epidemiology,
but be driven by the aim of developing safe and effective interventions beyond simple
reduction or avoidance of exposure to prevent, mitigate or reverse adverse human health
effects of exposures.The field of toxicology has now reached a point where advances
in multiple areas of biomedical research and information technologies empower us to
make fundamental transitions in directly impacting human health. Translational toxicology
must encompass four action elements as follows: 1) Assessing human exposures in critical
windows across the lifespan; 2) Defining modes of action and relevance of data from
animal models; 3) Use of mathematical models to develop plausible predictions as the
basis for: 4) Protective and restorative human health interventions. The discussion
focuses on the critical window of in-utero development. SUMMARY: Exposure assessment,
basic toxicology and development of certain categories of mathematical models are
not new areas of research; however overtly integrating these in order to conceive,
assess and validate effective interventions to mitigate or reverse adverse effects
of environmental exposures is our novel opportunity. This is what we should do in
translational toxicology so that we have a portfolio of interventional options to
improve human health that include both minimizing exposures and specific preventative/restorative/mitigative
therapeutics.
Type
Journal articleSubject
AnimalsHumans
Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects
Biological Markers
Environmental Pollutants
Endpoint Determination
Autistic Disorder
Toxicology
Environmental Health
Fetal Development
Pregnancy
Female
Translational Medical Research
Pediatric Obesity
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/17135Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1186/2050-6511-14-51Publication Info
Hughes, Claude; Waters, Michael; Allen, David; & Obasanjo, Iyabo (2013). Translational toxicology: a developmental focus for integrated research strategies.
BMC pharmacology & toxicology, 14(1). 10.1186/2050-6511-14-51. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/17135.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Claude Lebernian Hughes Jr.
Consulting Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology

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