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What's New?
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A Newsletter Exploring
page one page two We Want to Hear From You! We want to include your stories, comments, or questions relating to animals in your classroom in upcoming editions of BioFocus. Please email stories to mismr@umich.edu.
What is Toxicology?
The founder of the science of toxicology was a physician in the 16th century by the name of Paracelsus. Paracelsus proposed various theories that are still applicable today and form the basis for the science of toxicology. His postulates were the following:
The most basic principle of toxicology is that the dose of a drug administered to someone, or the amount of a chemical that an individual is exposed to, will dictate the response to that drug or chemical. This is the theory of the dose-response curve. An example is acetominophen (active ingredient in Tylenol), which is a widely used and generally very safe drug for treating fever and/or pain. However, overdoses with acetaminophen resulting in liver injury occur periodically. Another example of postulates from Paracelsus is demonstrated by the use of Botox, a drug that is administered under the skin to reduce wrinkles and used for cosmetic purposes. The active ingredient in Botox is botulinum toxin which is one of the most potent and lethal toxins known to man and produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum (think of botulism)! Botox demonstrates that chemicals can be both toxins and drugs, with effects distinguished by dose and/or route of administration. In the pharmaceutical industry, toxicologists play an important role with ensuring the safety of drugs. Before an experimental drug is tested in human clinical trials, toxicologists conduct numerous studies in animals to determine whether the drug is safe to administer to people. Toxicologists identify potential risks associated with the drug and help determine safe doses for the clinical trials. Toxicology studies in commercially bred animals (typically rats, mice and beagle dogs) are conducted under very strict federal guidelines for research and the results of these studies are provided to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for evaluation. Toxicology testing of new drugs is required by the FDA and other governmental agencies throughout the world. Toxicologists provide guidance to physicians to allow for the safe use of new drugs and to warn for potential risks. It is an important job but very rewarding knowing that you are playing a key role in creating new therapies that improve people's health and increase longevity.
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Toxicology is an endeavor in the biological sciences that studies the adverse effects of chemicals such as drugs, natural products, hormones, proteins, food additives, pesticides, herbicides, industrial chemicals, consumer products, metals, pollutants, medical devices or radiation. The science of toxicology is multi-disciplinary and involves diverse aspects of the biomedical sciences including physiology, biochemistry, pathology, biology and epidemiology. Given the diverse nature of what toxicologists study, it is no wonder that medicine, environmental science, law and government regulations are all effected by the discipline of toxicology. As examples, toxicologists determine whether pesticides are safe to use and what the potential risks pollutants may have on the environment. Toxicologists determine whether experimental drugs are safe to test in human clinical trials and perform studies to understand why a particular drug produces adverse effects in people.
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MISMR members strongly support humane animal study in research. We hope that likeminded citizens will join us in working for rational public policy that assures the continued appropriate use of animals in the course of good science. |