European Food Safety Authority database for in vivo developmental neurotoxicity studies of pesticides

Current evidence on the prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders has raised concerns over the environmental etiology for developmental neurotoxicity. As the use of standardized in vivo developmental neurotoxicity methods has been restricted due to high costs, limited testing capacity and extrapolation uncertainties, a shift to implementation of higher throughput technologies is urgently needed. A fit-for-purpose Developmental Neurotoxicity In Vitro Battery based on New Approach Methodologies has been recently developed to support the regulatory decision-making process. To increase confidence in its predictive performance and readiness, the authors, under the auspices of European Food Safety Authority, have created a curated database of in vivo study results from developmental neurotoxicity guideline or guideline-like in vivo studies. Methods, data and results from publicly available US Environmental Protection Agency Data Evaluation Records have been entered into a standardized data extraction model, developed to facilitate quantitative data collection and harmonization. The goal of the present work was to build a transparent and publicly available database of developmental neurotoxicity data from guideline studies, suitable for comparison with outputs from NAM assays such as the Developmental Neurotoxicity In Vitro battery. This effort represents a significant advancement for future analyses and will serve as a key stone for the development of transparent and publicly accessible databases of developmental neurotoxicity data.