Toxicogenomics

Abstract

Toxicogenomics is a relatively new field oriented toward the response of an entire genome to toxicants or environmental stressors. Toxicogenomics encompasses three major objectives: to elucidate the connection between environmental stress and disease susceptibility, to establish proper biomarkers of disease and exposure to toxic substances, and to clarify the molecular mechanisms of toxicity. Toxicogenomics is also beginning to incorporate the traditional toxicologic and histopathologic endpoint evaluation with data derived from transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and metabonomics. The terminology is described in Table 12.1.