Exploiting omicdata to advance predictive ecotoxicology

Short, Stephen, Etxabe, Amaia Green, Swart, Elmer, Rivetti, Claudia, Campos, Bruno, Krishnan, Rama, Kille, Peter ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6023-5221 and Spurgeon, David J. 2026. Exploiting omicdata to advance predictive ecotoxicology. Environmental Science & Technology 10.1021/acs.est.6c01198

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Abstract

Predicting species-specific chemical sensitivity using in silico approaches has the potential to transform environmental risk assessment, conservation, and biomonitoring, while reducing, and ultimately replacing, animal testing. Genomic and transcriptomic data capture extensive sensitivity-relevant variation, including differences in molecular targets, xenobiotic metabolism, and damage mitigation pathways. Large-scale sequencing initiatives therefore offer an unprecedented opportunity to address ecotoxicology’s “too many species” problem. Although existing omic-based predictive tools provide proof of concept, they have so far been applied to a narrow set of relatively straightforward prediction scenarios. To achieve broader applicability, current and future tools must be firmly grounded in the diverse molecular mechanisms underlying differential chemical responses. Here, we critically evaluate the emerging field of predicting species sensitivity using molecular variation inferred from omic data. We analyze the strengths and limitations of current omic-based approaches and identify major sequence and ecotoxicological data gaps, as well as critical bioinformatic challenges. We then review the current knowledge of how molecular biology underlies differential chemical sensitivity, outlining research paths to allow the next generation of sensitivity prediction tools to exploit ever expanding omic data.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Schools > Biosciences
Publisher:	American Chemical Society
ISSN:	0013-936X
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	19 August 2026
Date of Acceptance:	4 August 2026
Last Modified:	19 Aug 2026 08:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/189071

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