Omics methods in regulatory toxicology - Experts discussed possibility of application

Advances in omics techniques and molecular toxicology represent great challenges, new perspectives and possible solutions for regulatory toxicology. Consequently, a central question is if and how these methods can be used for regulatory purposes in a way that they enable regulators to address important open questions in toxicology. On the one hand, more information may be gained from toxicity studies and the number of animal experiments may be reduced. On the other hand, the relevance and applicability of data obtained by new methods need cautious expert judgement. 
To discuss under what conditions and for which purposes omics methods might be applied and validated in regulatory toxicology, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) organised an international expert workshop. The workshop took place in Berlin from October 9 to 10, 2014. Among the more than 30 participants were experts from a total of 10 countries. Experts discussed requirements on data quality and validation, biological relevance of effects and areas of regulatory toxicology omics methods might be used for.