Towards Precision Ecotoxicology: Leveraging Evolutionary Conservation of Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Product Targets to Understand Adverse Outcomes Across Species and Life Stages

Abstract

Translation of environmental science to the practice aims to protect biodiversity and ecosystem services, and our future ability to do so relies on the development of a precision ecotoxicology approach wherein we leverage the genetics and informatics of species to better understand and manage the risks of global pollution. A little over a decade ago, a workshop focusing on the risks of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the environment identified a priority research question, “What can be learned about the evolutionary conservation of PPCP targets across species and life stages in the context of potential adverse outcomes and effects?” We review the activities in this area over the past decade, consider prospects of more recent developments, and identify future research needs to develop next-generation approaches for PPCPs and other global chemicals and waste challenges. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;43:526–536. © 2023 SETAC. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.