One of the tasks of the Committee on Emerging Issues and Data on Environmental Contaminants was to identify opportunities for additional NRC projects to address specific emerging issues. This led to the creation of the committee on Applications of Toxicogenomic Technologies to Predictive Toxicology.

Statement of Task: Applications of Toxicogenomic Technologies to Predictive Toxicology

Major Unit: Division on Earth and Life Studies
Boards: Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology (BEST), Board on Life Sciences (BLS)
Staff Officers: Suzanne van Drunick (BEST), Marilee Shelton-Davenport (BLS)

A committee of the NRC will examine the impact of "toxicogenomic" technologies on predictive toxicology. These approaches include the study of gene and protein activity and other biological processes to better characterize toxic substances and their potential risks to public health and the environment. For the promise of these technologies to be realized, significant challenges must be recognized and addressed. This study will provide a broad overview for the public, senior government policy-makers, and other interested and involved parties of the benefits potentially arising from these technologies, identify the challenges to achieving them, and suggest approaches and incentives that might be used to address the challenges.

The activities of the National Research Council's Committee on Emerging Issues and Data on Environmental Contaminants have now been completed. This website will remain online to serve as a reference to the committee's activities and resource for the accompanying workshop summaries, presentations, and newsletters.