High-throughput screening paradigms in ecotoxicity testing: Emerging prospects and ongoing challenges

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Toxicology
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Increasing chemical production necessitates advanced ecotoxicity testing.
• Current methods lack automation and high-throughput capabilities, hindering effective risk assessment.
• Drug discovery pipelines offer models for high-throughput screening in ecotoxicology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in high-throughput bioanalytical approaches for ecotoxicity testing.
• To discuss the future importance of automated data acquisition and big data analysis.
• To highlight innovations like organs-on-a-chip and their role in ecotoxicology.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on automated bioanalytical systems in ecotoxicology.
• Discussion of emerging technologies and computational simulations.
• Analysis of successful high-throughput implementations for chemical prioritization.

Main Results:

• Few automated systems exist in ecotoxicology, unlike in drug discovery.
• High-throughput data acquisition is underdeveloped, with limited cell-free and cell-based assays.
• Emerging technologies like organs-on-a-chip show promise for future testing.

Conclusions:

• Automated, high-throughput ecotoxicity testing is essential for modern chemical management.
• Integrating advanced data analysis and computational tools will improve in vivo relevance.
• Successful implementation of these strategies can accelerate environmental risk assessment and chemical prioritization.