Department Environmental Toxicology

BIOTRANSFORM: Organ- and species-specific biotransformation of aquatic micropollutants in fish

The BIOTRANSFORM project emerges from the need to support bioaccumulation assessments and to reduce the uncertainty related to the biotransformation of emerging aquatic contaminants, particularly regarding:

  1. Extrahepatic biotransformation, as little information exists about the ability of organs, other than the liver, to biotransform chemicals;
  2. The production of different, and potentially active, biotransformation products (metabolites); and
  3. Species sensitivity differences.

The project is based on two phases and aims to implement well-established in vitro methodologies to comparatively describe organ-specific (phase A) and species-specific (phase B) biotransformation of micropollutants (e.g. pharmaceuticals, pesticides) in fish, using model (e.g. rainbow trout) and non-model species that are representative of regional stream diversity.

While there has been significant advances in assessing adverse biological effects and in supporting efforts to maintain the ecological integrity of aquatic ecosystems, such assessments are often generalized and focus only on a handful of species. One important aspect of environmental risk assessments is the evaluation of bioaccumulation, making it possible to estimate how far organisms can eliminate chemicals and prevent their accumulation. Indeed, determining whether a chemical is likely to bioaccumulate depends on factors such as the physicochemical properties of chemicals, their partitioning into different matrices, and the ability of organisms to biotransform and excrete such compounds.

Additionally, recent advancements in bioaccumulation assessments have also benefited from the development and implementation of animal alternatives, such as in silico (computational), sub-cellular (OECD 319B), and cell-based (OECD 319A) systems, allowing for the estimation of biotransformation rates and improving predictions at the in vivo level. These tools are main components of BIOTRANSFORM, allowing the project to rely on robust and novel experimentation in bioaccumulation science.

Contact

Dr. Marco Franco Postdoctoral Scientist Tel. +41 58 765 5550 Send Mail

Team Member

Prof. Dr. Kristin Schirmer Head of department Tel. +41 58 765 5266 Send Mail

Funding

Eawag Postdoctoral Fellowship