The IGBB logo features a stylized "pinwheel" to the left of the letters IGBB in caps in a modified Bank Gothic Pro font.
The six-part "pinwheel" in the IGBB logo is:
- A symbol of lab unity as it shows "parts" coming together to make a "whole."
- A flower or three-leaf clover representing (a) plants, important subjects of our research, (b) life in general, and (c) the life sciences (biology).
- A set of chromosomes being moved towards the center of a cell.
- The Sun - another symbol of life.
- A protein composed of six subunits (e.g., a protein pore).
- Three foxes putting their heads together. The fox is a symbol of cleverness in Western folklore. Since the IGBB is organized into three service groups (Genomics, Proteomics/Metabolomics, and Biocomputing/Computational Biology), the foxes could represent the three disciplines working together.
- A scientist jumping for joy after making an important discovery.
- A windmill, the primary symbol associated with Cervantes' famous character Don Quixote - Like Don Quixote, scientists must be willing to attack 'wicked giants' (e.g., ignorance, racism, sexism, intolerance, use of the term 'science' in the promotion of non-scientific causes), champion worthy causes (e.g., education, intellectual freedom, human rights, environmental responsibility), and remain optimistic in the face of defeat (e.g., most days in the lab). Hopefully, however, the average scientist can accomplish these tasks without becoming delusional (a problem that squashed Quixote's dreams of becoming a plant molecular biologist).
- A DNA double-helix or protein in cross section.
- Antibodies binding to a protein.
- Whatever you want it to be.
Dr. Natàlia Garcia-Reyero VinasAdjunct Research Professor
FACULTY
email(601) 634-3764
Vicksburg, MS
Current perspectives on the use of alternative species in human health and ecological hazard assessments
IGBB Authors:
Natàlia Garcia-ReyeroPUBLICATION YEAR:
2013IMPACT FACTOR:
7.159CITATION COUNT:
90Perkins EJ, Ankley GT, Crofton KM, Garcia-Reyero N, Lalone CA, Johnson MS, Tietge JE, Villeneuve DL (2013) Current perspectives on the use of alternative species in human health and ecological hazard assessments.
Environmental Health Perspectives 121(9): 1002-1010.
DOI:
10.1289/ehp.1306638EID:
2-s2.0-84883283839PMID: 23771518
DOWNLOAD PDFABSTRACTBackground: Traditional animal toxicity tests can be time and resource intensive, thereby limiting the number of chemicals that can be comprehensively tested for potential hazards to humans and/or to the environment.Objective: We compared several types of data to demonstrate how alternative models can be used to inform both human and ecological risk assessment.Methods: We reviewed and compared data derived from high throughput in vitro assays to fish reproductive tests for seven chemicals. We investigated whether human-focused assays can be predictive of chemical hazards in the environment. We examined how conserved pathways enable the use of nonmammalian models, such as fathead minnow, zebrafish, and Xenopus laevis, to understand modes of action and to screen for chemical risks to humans.Results: We examined how dose-dependent responses of zebrafish embryos exposed to flusilazole can be extrapolated, using pathway point of departure data and reverse toxicokinetics, to obtain human oral dose hazard values that are similar to published mammalian chronic toxicity values for the chemical. We also examined how development/safety data for human health can be used to help assess potential risks of pharmaceuticals to nontarget species in the environment.Discussion: Using several examples, we demonstrate that pathway-based analysis of chemical effects provides new opportunities to use alternative models (nonmammalian species, in vitro tests) to support decision making while reducing animal use and associated costs.Conclusions: These analyses and examples demonstrate how alternative models can be used to reduce cost and animal use while being protective of both human and ecological health.Citation: Perkins EJ, Ankley GT, Crofton KM, Garcia-Reyero N, LaLone CA, Johnson MS, Tietge JE, Villeneuve DL. 2013. Current perspectives on the use of alternative species in human health and ecological hazard assessments. Environ Health Perspect 121:1002-1010; https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1306638.
The IGBB is supported, in part, by the following units:
The IGBB is an HPC² member center.
