21st century Ecotoxicology and Human toxicology: Applications and perspectives for the use of OMICs data

There are currently in the region of 100,000 chemicals in commercial use, making it impossible to monitor and assess the biological effects of exposure to each individual compound, much less mixtures given the finite scientific resources available. Historically, regulatory requirements on chemical risk assessments are largely based upon in vivo toxicity testing of individual substances on "representative" single species, supported by some in vitro and in silico approaches. Thus extrapolation to more relevant endpoints in relevant species is required. Many traditional (eco)toxicological studies use lab-based tests with apical endpoints as a proxy for more relevant exposure scenarios, and while these studies are useful and have provided valuable insights, they are inherently flawed and cannot provide deep mechanistic insights into the biological significance of exposure.