University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) - Research portal
FFoQSI: ToxTesting
Subproject of: FFoQSI Blue Area: Smart Technologies - Scientific innovations for sustainable food chains (FFoQSI Blue Area)
- Project Leader
- Strauss Joseph, Project Leader
- Duration:
- 01.01.2021-31.12.2024
- Programme:
- COMET - K1-Zentren
- Type of Research
- Applied Research
- Project partners
-
AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Austria.
Function of the Project Partner: Partner -
University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, 4600 Wels, Austria.
Function of the Project Partner: Partner -
Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien, Austria.
Function of the Project Partner: Partner
- BOKU Research Units
- Institute of Microbial Genetics
- Funded by
- Abstract
- Most bioactive metabolites, toxins and contaminants in food and feed such as pesticides, mycotoxins, endocrine disruptors, heavy metals, or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are tested individually in different cellular reporter systems to assess their toxicity and from there deduce the acceptable daily intake (ADI) and maximum residue limits (MRL). In reality, all of these compounds do not occur isolated but in different combinations. To assess their combinatorial action and toxicity levels, we are devloping methods in which differet combinations and concentrations of commonly occuring toxins are tested using laboratory automation for high-content screenings. We construct and apply different cellular (fungal) reporter systems that allow monitoring of substance effects on growth, metabolism and epigentic regulation. The results will help to identify crictical combinations that can then be further tested in mammalian cell culture and in vivo toxicity tests.
- Keywords
- Microbiology; Molecular biology;
- bioactive microbial metabolites; epigenetics; high-content screening; combined toxicity; cellular reporter assays;