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2E - Genomics, Proteonomics, Metabolomics (TUP/118) An Ecological Perspective of Genomics: Assessing Ecological Risk Through Partnerships. Snape, Jason1, Benson, William2, Sigmund, Degitz2, Taylor, George3, Tyler, Charles4, Versteeg, Donald5, 1 AstraZeneca Global SHE, Brixham, Devon, UK2 US-EPA, Gulf Breeze, Florida, US3 George Mason University, Washington, DC, US4 Exeter University, Exeter, Devon, UK5 Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, OH, US ABSTRACT- The application of new molecular biological tools to environmental toxicology was discussed at an international workshop attended by approximately 60 government, academic, and industrial scientists. The sequencing of the human genome, development of microarrays and DNA chips, and developments in the areas of proteomics, metabonomics and bioinformatics have led to rapid advancements in understanding the interactions between chemicals and exposed organisms. New genomic approaches offer model-independent means of identifying the pathways of chemical action and, by identifying the affected genes and proteins, can direct the development of systematic screens for toxicants. Ecotoxicologists and scientists in the related environmental sciences recognize the power these approaches bring to understand the basic biology of environmental organisms and their response to environmental stressors. There are, however, considerable challenges that need to be faced to enable these genomic technologies to be applied to ecological risk in meaningful and informative ways, including the development of a more comprehensive understanding of the interrelationships between genome-level responses and physiological/behavioral function in ecologically relevant species. Efforts to sequence the genomes of important organisms are ongoing as are efforts to use this information to address issues in taxonomy, population biology, genetics, ecotoxicology, and a wide variety of other research disciplines. The challenge of this Workshop was to establish how these new genomic tools could best be applied to address global environmental risk issues, and to seek the most effective ways forward in doing so. Embedded within the meetings discussions were the technical, ethical and funding problems faced in the application of these new genomic technologies. Key words: Proteomics, Genomics, Microarray, Transcriptomics |
