The Ferryman

A Predictive Toxicology Pathways Question for Refection and Discussion

While discussing pathways in Oeiras recently, I formulated the following question on a slide which should give us plenty to reflect on and discuss in coming months (and years!) as we try to develop strategies and supporting infrastructures: 

How do we best leverage current knowledge and methods with regards to biological pathway analysis to design improved approaches to predictive toxicology that increase our ability to characterise the potential of chemicals to cause adverse human health effects and including an understanding of mode of action, mechanisms involved in the mode of action and the interaction of biological entities, pathways and networks in the perturbations introduced by the chemicals?

What do you think?

Ontology Development in support of Predictive Toxicology Use Cases & Services

Slideset for "Ontology Development in support of Predictive Toxicology Use Cases & Services" presented by OpenTox Coordinator Barry Hardy (Douglas Connect) at the OpenTox-EBI Industry forum workshop on Toxicology Ontology held at the EMBL-EBI campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK, 15-17 November 2010 is available as a download from:

http://www.opentox.org/home/documents/presentations/presopentoxebinov2010/view

The ontology workshop discussions were I believe very productive and will undoubtedly lead to further communications and important proposals in months to come. Interact and stay in contact with us on these critical interoperable infrastructure developments in 2011 and beyond!

 

The Knowledge Ferry - an Open Knowledge Community

Consider joining our Open Knowledge Community if you are interested in sharing experiences on knowledge - how to accelerate its flow, nourish greater sharing, somehow imperfectly "manage" it.  Join us for an interesting ride on the new Knowledge Ferry at: 

http://knowledgeferry.ning.com/

The Ferryman

Extending OpenTox to Collaborative Drug Discovery Projects & Drug Safety

I will deliver an OpenTox seminar at the IQPC (Pharma IQ)  Predictive Toxicology conference taking place in London 23-24 Feb 2011, in which I will present on recent developments with regards to OpenTox interoperability advances, and particularly to support of collaborative drug discovery projects.  Also of interest to the increasing support by OpenTox of in vitro methods is a significant program on stem cell technology.  The conference will address the accuracy of drug safety testing through the integration of advanced prediction methods, including stem cell based assays and screening into safety evaluation strategies. The main conference will take place in London on 23rd-24th February 2011 and new for this year, there will be a pre-conference focus day on 22nd February 2011 dedicated to the use of stem cells as a tool to enhance predictive toxicology.
http://www.predictivetoxicology.co.uk/Event.aspx?id=394530

Continuous rain will gradually break the hard stones

Continuous rain will gradually break the hard stones in the river bed so that the knowledge flow may accelerate and the ferry we are on together may reach its destination of wisdom.