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Missing Genomic Resources for the Next Generation of Environmental Risk Assessment.

Marc-Sven RoellMark-Christoph OttMagdalena M MairTobias Pamminger
Published in: Environmental science & technology (2024)
Environmental risk assessment traditionally relies on a wide range of in vivo testing to assess the potential hazards of chemicals in the environment. These tests are often time-consuming and costly and can cause test organisms' suffering. Recent developments of reliable low-cost alternatives, both in vivo- and in silico-based, opened the door to reconsider current toxicity assessment. However, many of these new approach methodologies (NAMs) rely on high-quality annotated genomes for surrogate species of regulatory risk assessment. Currently, a lack of genomic information slows the process of NAM development. Here, we present a phylogenetically resolved overview of missing genomic resources for surrogate species within a regulatory ecotoxicological risk assessment. We call for an organized and systematic effort within the (regulatory) ecotoxicological community to provide these missing genomic resources. Further, we discuss the potential of a standardized genomic surrogate species landscape to enable a robust and nonanimal-reliant ecotoxicological risk assessment in the systems ecotoxicology era.
Keyphrases
  • risk assessment
  • human health
  • copy number
  • heavy metals
  • low cost
  • transcription factor
  • climate change
  • mental health
  • oxidative stress
  • gene expression
  • single cell
  • gram negative