Predictive Toxicology

Predictive toxicology integrates toxicology with genomics and/or molecular profiling to evaluate how a particular substance or drug affects cellular and/or tissue function: how do differences in gene expression profiles between control versus drug-treated subjects relate to adverse or potentially toxic effects? Such information can also provide valuable insights into novel mechanisms for regulation of gene function and, additionally, may reveal possible genetic targets for alternative pharmacological interventions and/or adverse side effects and toxicity.

Predictive toxicology has the ability to identify compounds with potentially harmful toxicity much earlier than conventional pre-clinical pharmacological methods. This approach can improve drug selection and thus reduce drug development times and costs.