Images created by Andrew Lehoullier

Webinar: Thinking outside the tank using zebrafish to protect the environment and human health
Date: Thursday, February 16, 2023
Time: 12 PM (CST)
Duration: 1 hour

There are many decision contexts where scientists, manufacturers, regulators and consumers need to understand the relative safety of a product or chemical. For decades toxicologists relied solely on laboratory rodents to assess the toxicity/safety of chemicals. But low throughput, high cost, and uncertainty about the relevance of rodent models have hindered the safety evaluation of most chemicals. Meanwhile, their continued use has led to a predictable increase in disease. As we entered the 21st century, the toxicology discipline was challenged to do a better job of proactively assessing new chemicals and evaluating the risk that legacy chemicals pose to humans and the environment. We have maintained that zebrafish's intrinsic advantages make this model ideal for filling important some of these knowledge gaps. Multi-dimensional zebrafish assays provide rapid ways to discover and compare the bioactivity of chemicals for decision making and as a path to define mechanisms of action. This presentation will provide examples where high throughput screening and systems approaches are advancing environmental health. Zebrafish are typically exposed to libraries of test chemicals from 6 to 120 h post fertilization (hpf) across concentrations spanning orders of magnitude, with deep biological replication allowing for rigorous statistical analysis. Chemical effects on survival and development are evaluated at 24 and 120 hpf, and neurobehavioral changes are measured using two high throughput photomotor response (PMR) assays. Chemical exposures produce distinct biological activity patterns, and we routinely collect unbiased whole-genome transcriptomic responses to discover the expression changes that are causally linked to phenotypic responses. Collectively, we are positioned to generate phenotypic and gene expression response data from structurally diverse chemicals at a scale necessary to begin to predict the structural attributes that result in biocompatibility versus toxicity.

Dr. Robyn Leigh Tanguay is a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology and the Director of the Superfund Research Program and the Sinnhuber Aquatic Research LAboratory at Oregon State University. She received her BA in Biology from Cal State University-San Bernardino, her PhD in Biochemistry from the University of California-Riverside and postdoctoral training from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Robyn has pioneered the use of zebrafish as a systems toxicology model. She has authored more than 300 manuscripts across numerous disciplines. She serves on numerous federal and commercial advisory boards and as an editor for several scientific journals. She uses phenotypic anchoring coupled with the inherent molecular and genetic advantages of zebrafish to define the mechanisms by which chemicals, drugs and nanoparticles interact with and adversely affect vertebrate development and function. These tools are also now routinely used to assist in the development of inherently safer chemicals and nanoparticles.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robyn_Leigh_Tanguay

http://tanguaylab.com/

​Webinar: Toxicological Risk Assessment – Environmental and Human Health Perspectives
Date: Tuesday, February 7, 2023
Time: 1 PM (CST)
Duration: 2 hours

Midwest SOT and Midwest SETAC are excited to present a joint webinar that will bring environmental and human toxicology experts together for a broad discussion of what risk assessments look like in different areas of toxicology. This webinar is open to all members and non-members of MW SOT and MW SETAC. Our speakers will include:

Dr. Amy Soli, PhD
Environmental and Occupational Toxicologist
AbbVie

Dr. Pamela Kramer, PhD
Environmental and Occupational Toxicologist
AbbVie

Dr. Rachel Shaffer, PhD, MPH
Epidemiologist
Chemical Pollutant Assessment Division
Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment
Office of Research and Development
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

This webinar is free but you will need to register to save your spot. To register please click the blue button. Please block your calendars after registering and the MS Teams link will be sent closer to the event date.