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Challenges for Integrating Immunotoxicology into the Twenty-First-Century Toxicology Testing Paradigm

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Immunotoxicity Testing

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1803))

Abstract

An emerging emphasis on mechanism-focused and human-relevant alternatives to animal use in toxicology underlies the toxicology testing in the twenty-first-century initiative. Herein we describe in vitro high-throughput screening programs seeking to address this goal, as well as strategies established to integrate assay results to build weight of evidence in support of hazard assessment. Furthermore, we discuss unique challenges facing the application of such alternatives for assessing immunotoxicity given the complexity of immune responses. Addressing these challenges will require the development of novel in vitro assays that evaluate well-characterized biochemical processes involved in immune response to help inform on putative adverse outcomes in vivo.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr. David Allen for the critical review of this chapter. This work was supported in part by the Society of Toxicology Colgate-Palmolive Postdoctoral Fellowship Award in In Vitro Toxicology to P.W.F.K.

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Correspondence to Agnes L. Karmaus .

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Karmaus, P.W.F., Karmaus, A.L. (2018). Challenges for Integrating Immunotoxicology into the Twenty-First-Century Toxicology Testing Paradigm. In: DeWitt, J., Rockwell, C., Bowman, C. (eds) Immunotoxicity Testing. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1803. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-8549-4_23

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-8549-4_23

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