Session 12 OpenTox Virtual Conference 2021 

Talk Title: National Toxicology Program’s approach to refine and harmonize zebrafish screening protocols for chemical safety assessment

The National Toxicology Program (NTP) launched the Systematic Evaluation of the Application of Zebrafish in Toxicology (i.e., SEAZIT) to tackle these challenges by serving as a resource for information sharing as well as conducting focused experimental studies for the identification of critical protocol elements necessary for a harmonized approach.  Information gathering sessions and workshops hosted by SEAZIT led to the development of several projects to specifically address the impact of protocol design, ontology, and analysis variables.  This presentation will 1) summarize the goals of SEAZIT, 2) highlight ongoing research to understand the impact of protocol parameters on chemical-mediated developmental toxicity in zebrafish embryos, and 3) discuss ongoing collaborations with zebrafish experts to focus on the critical need to harmonize zebrafish ontologies and data analysis approaches.