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Chemical Screening Test Will Speed Up Toxicity Testing
Researchers modified target proteins to emit light when activated by certain chemicals.
A new high-throughput technique can determine if a chemical has the potential to activate key genes in seconds rather than the typical 24 hours or more.
Study in a Sentence: Researchers modified target proteins to emit light when activated by certain chemicals. These proteins, which affect reproductive development, can then be used in a new test to rapidly screen for chemicals that may be toxic to the reproductive process.
Healthy for Humans: While most toxicology tests require more than 24 hours to obtain results, this rapid high-throughput technique can be adapted to identify potentially toxic chemicals to various human biological processes in seconds.
Redefining Research: This test can be used to quickly prioritize chemicals for further in-depth toxicology testing and help reduce testing in animals.
References
- Medlock Kakaley EK Eytcheson SA, LeBlanc GA. Ligand-mediated receptor assembly as an end point for high-throughput chemical toxicity screening. Environ Sci Technol. 2017;51:9327-9333. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.7b02882.
