Toxicogenomics

Technologies in Toxicogenomics

Toxicogenomics uses new technologies to analyze genes, genetic polymorphisms, mRNA transcripts, proteins, and metabolites. The foundation of this field is the rapid sequencing of the human genome and the genomes of dozens of other organisms, including animals used as models in toxicology studies. Whereas the human genome project was a multiyear effort of a consortium of laboratories, new rapid, high-density, and high-efficiency sequencing approaches allow a single laboratory to sequence genomes in days or weeks. Gene sequencing technologies have also enabled rapid analysis of sequence variation in individual genes, which underlies the diversity in responses to chemicals and other environmental factors.