Reimagining aquatic toxicity testing through bioprinting.

Area of Science:

• Environmental toxicology
• Biotechnology
• Aquatic model development

Background:

• Ethical concerns regarding the use of live aquatic organisms in chemical safety assessments are increasing.
• Traditional ecotoxicological testing relies heavily on animal models, raising ethical considerations.
• There is a growing need for alternative methods to evaluate chemical safety in aquatic environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the application of bioprinting technologies in developing novel aquatic models for environmental toxicology.
• To assess the potential of bioprinting to reduce the reliance on live aquatic organisms in chemical safety testing.
• To identify key challenges and future directions for implementing bioprinted aquatic models in regulatory science.

Main Methods:

• Review and synthesis of current bioprinting techniques applicable to aquatic organisms.
• Conceptualization of bioprinted Daphnia analogs, fish chorions, and teleost-on-chip systems.
• Analysis of regulatory requirements and the potential for bioprinted models to meet them.

Main Results:

• Bioprinting can create functional analogs of aquatic organisms, such as Daphnia, and structures like fish chorions.
• Development of 'teleost-on-chip' systems offers a platform for in vitro aquatic toxicity testing.
• The proposed bioprinted models have the potential to reduce live animal usage in ecotoxicology.

Conclusions:

• Bioprinting presents a viable strategy to address ethical concerns in environmental toxicology by reducing live animal use.
• Bioprinted aquatic models can potentially maintain regulatory relevance, offering a path towards more sustainable chemical safety assessment.
• Further research and development are needed to overcome technical challenges and fully integrate bioprinting into regulatory frameworks.