On January 16–17, 2014, the Society of Toxicology (SOT) will hold the second FutureTox CCT workshop FutureTox II: In Vitro Data and In Silico Models for Predictive Toxicology in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. FutureTox II will extend the success of the first SOT Contemporary Concepts in Toxicology (CCT) workshop FutureTox: Building the Road for 21st Century Toxicology and Risk Assessment Practices held in Arlington, Virginia on October 18–19, 2012. The workshop report is published as a Forum article in Toxicological Sciences and is available online.
FutureTox addressed many of the challenges associated with implementing the use of 21st century methodologies into risk assessment.Topics included: (a) how can predictive toxicology be integrated into existing assessment practices?; (b) what is the best use of human and environmental exposure, toxicity, and dosimetry data in the context of risk assessment?; and (c) how can emerging science impact and reshape current risk assessment practice? Throughout each workshop session, presenters discussed how to apply 21st century toxicology methods for improved and more efficient safety assessment, and how to promote an ordered and scientifically defensible transition to a new toxicity testing and risk assessment paradigm. Workshop participants also discussed how to translate in vitro chemical exposures to "realworld" systemic doses, and how to eliminate use of arbitrary "uncertainty" factors. The CCT format enabled these discussions and helped participants begin to develop a vision of the path forward.
A clear consensus that emerged from the two days of presentations and roundtable discussions was that a “paradigm shift” in toxicology will take place through incremental steps rather than by revolution. Even so, recommendations were that several specific uses for new technologies should be explored sooner rather than later and targeted for decision-making, namely: prioritization of chemicals for further testing; read-across hazard profiles to estimate the hazards associated with a novel chemical, for which little data is available; improved understanding of chemical modes of action; reduced uncertainty associated with human variability and susceptibility; improved cross-species comparison and relevance; better understanding and more information on outcomes after low-dose exposure, leading to a more complete, more relevant analysis of dose-response relationships in humans. FutureTox participants agreed that the objectives and recommendations only will be realized if regulatory agencies and other stakeholders work in concert to define a clear strategic roadmap towards science-informed risk assessment.