Toxicogenomics in predictive toxicology in drug development

The goal of toxicology is the assessment of possible risk to man. An emerging technology with the potential to have a major impact on risk assessment is toxicogenomics. In this review, we provide an overview of the many possibilities for toxicogenomics including technology platforms, data interpretation, and regulatory perspective and we give examples of toxicogenomics investigations. Toxicogenomics is a powerful tool for compound classification, for mechanistic studies, and for the detection of toxicity markers. Thus, toxicogenomics helps in the extrapolation of findings across species and increases predictability. Biomarkers are valuable in the evaluation of compounds at earlier development phases, improving clinical candidate selection. Caution regarding the interpretation of the results is still necessary. Nevertheless, toxicogenomics will accelerate preclinical safety assessments and improve the prediction of toxic liabilities, as well as of potential risk accumulation for drug-drug or drug-disease interactions.