Missing Genomic Resources for the Next Generation of Environmental Risk Assessment

Area of Science:

• Ecotoxicology
• Genomics
• Environmental Risk Assessment

Background:

• Traditional ecotoxicological risk assessment heavily relies on in vivo testing, which is costly, time-consuming, and ethically concerning.
• New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) offer promising alternatives but often require high-quality genomic data for surrogate species, which is currently lacking.
• The absence of comprehensive genomic information for regulatory surrogate species impedes the advancement and validation of NAMs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a phylogenetically informed overview of the genomic resources currently missing for species used in regulatory ecotoxicological risk assessment.
• To highlight the critical need for a coordinated community effort to generate these essential genomic datasets.
• To discuss the potential of a standardized genomic landscape for enabling robust, animal-free ecotoxicological assessments within the systems toxicology framework.

Main Methods:

• Phylogenetic analysis to identify and map gaps in genomic data for regulatory surrogate species.
• Literature review and database assessment of existing genomic resources for ecotoxicological models.
• Conceptual framework development for a standardized genomic surrogate species landscape.

Main Results:

• Identification of specific phylogenetic clades and species lacking crucial genomic information necessary for NAM development.
• Quantification of the extent of missing genomic data across key surrogate species.
• A clear roadmap outlining the priority areas for genomic resource generation.

Conclusions:

• Addressing the identified genomic data gaps is paramount for accelerating the development and implementation of NAMs in environmental risk assessment.
• A systematic, community-driven approach to generating genomic resources will facilitate a transition towards more ethical and efficient ecotoxicological evaluations.
• Establishing a standardized genomic surrogate species landscape is essential for advancing systems ecotoxicology and achieving non-animal-reliant risk assessment.