Stem Cells for Next Level Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century

Area of Science:

• Toxicology and Pharmacology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Stem Cell Biology

Background:

• The 2007 US National Research Council report called for a paradigm shift in toxicology.
• Traditional 2D in vitro models are insufficient for complex human organ mimicry.
• There is a growing need for human-relevant alternative methods in toxicological hazard assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review critical organs for toxicity assessment and their functions.
• To discuss current and emerging in vitro methods for toxicological applications.
• To highlight the potential of human stem cell-based models and advanced technologies.

Main Methods:

• Review of scientific literature on organ function and toxicity.
• Analysis of current in vitro toxicology methods.
• Exploration of emerging technologies like organs-on-a-chip and genome editing.

Main Results:

• Identified key organs (skin, brain, thyroid, lung, heart, liver, kidney, intestine) for toxicity assessment.
• Discussed limitations of current 2D in vitro systems.
• Highlighted the promise of organotypic models, human pluripotent stem cells, organs-on-a-chip, and genome editing.

Conclusions:

• A paradigm shift towards human-relevant, complex in vitro models is necessary for toxicology.
• Organotypic models and advanced technologies are essential for accurate toxicological hazard assessment.
• The integration of these methods will drive the future of toxicology testing.