Toxicoepigenetics for Risk Assessment: Bridging the Gap Between Basic and Regulatory Science.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Toxicology
• Epigenetics

Background:

• Toxicoepigenetics investigates environmental exposures and their epigenetic modifications.
• Current chemical risk assessment underutilizes toxicoepigenomic data and methods.
• Existing barriers hinder the integration of toxicoepigenetics into regulatory science.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify structural barriers preventing toxicoepigenetics integration in chemical risk assessment.
• To propose strategies for enhancing the utility of epigenetic data in risk assessment.
• To bridge the gap between basic toxicoepigenetic research and regulatory requirements.

Main Methods:

• Social science framework analysis of existing barriers.
• Comparative analysis of data standards in toxicoepigenetics and regulatory toxicology.
• Identification of key areas for community-driven improvements.

Main Results:

• Barriers include data heterogeneity, lack of standardized methods, and poor translation of molecular epigenetic data to toxicological endpoints.
• Toxicoepigenetics' focus on low-dose, long-term effects conflicts with traditional regulatory toxicology frameworks.
• Differences in validation criteria limit the application of basic research findings.

Conclusions:

• Integrating toxicoepigenetics requires addressing data standardization, method harmonization, and endpoint translation.
• Enhancing epigenetic data utility necessitates fostering understanding among risk assessors, developing knowledge infrastructure, and facilitating data exchange.
• Opening the field to diverse stakeholders is crucial for advancing toxicoepigenetic risk assessment.