Research
The DTU USEtox Research Centre has been actively engaged in most of the research projects that fostered the development of the USEtox® model over the years. It continues as a central actor in advancing the characterization of chemical toxicity impacts and fostering consensus in impact assessment methodologies. Key areas of research include:
- Chemical toxicity impacts: Developing methods to evaluate a wide range of toxic effects on human health, such as carcinogenicity and reproductive/developmental toxicity, as well as toxic impacts on ecosystems and individual environmental species, including terrestrial organisms and pollinators.
- Assessment of Novel Entities: Establishing robust methodologies for evaluating environmental toxicological impacts of human-made materials and substances, such as plastics, enzymes, and other novel entities, that pose unique challenges in environmental and human health assessments.
- Data Science and Predictive Modelling: Leveraging advanced data science techniques, including machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), to improve the availability of chemical toxicity characterization, enabling more efficient and comprehensive assessments.
- Consensus Building and Harmonization: Driving collaboration across chemical assessment disciplines, including life cycle assessment (LCA), risk assessment, and chemical regulation, to standardize methodologies and promote consistency in evaluating chemicals.
Through these initiatives, the DTU USEtox Research Centre is contributing to the development of science-based methods and frameworks that address complex challenges in assessing chemical toxicity characterization. The integration of newly developed methods into the official USEtox model is overseen and approved by the USEtox® team