AIAI Seminar - Tuesday, 20 June 2023 - Talk by Dario Greco

Speaker:    Dario Greco

Title:            Toxicogenomics and mechanistic modelling for the development of new chemicals drugs, and materials: Towards a planetary health paradigm

Abstract:

Toxicology is going through profound changes as the focus of investigation is shifting from the observation of apical phenomena to mechanistic aspects of the exposure. Toxicogenomics aims at clarifying the mechanism of action (MOA) of chemicals by using omics assays. The Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOP) concept is also emerging to contextualise toxicogenomics-derived MOA.

At the Finnish Hub for Development and Validation of Integrated Approaches (FHAIVE) of Tampere University, we use advanced modelling of large amounts of data to anchor molecular assays to AOPs. We also combine big data science, artificial intelligence (AI), network science, toxicogenomics, molecular assays and cell technology to analyse a comprehensive knowledge graph comprising tens of millions of data points with the aim to develop AOP-derived New Methodology Approaches (NAMs).

In this talk, I will discuss how integrated data-driven approaches can be used to unify the currently fragmented comprehension of the chemical-biological interactions, while guiding the development of safe and sustainable by design (SSbD) and effective by design (EbD) chemicals, drugs, and materials.

Bio:  Dario Greco is professor of bioinformatics at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology of Tampere University and the director of FHAIVE, The Finnish Hub for Development and Validation of Integrated Approaches. He is also professor of pharmaceutical bioinformatics at the Faculty of Pharmacy of University of Helsinki, principal investigator at the Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, and the coordinator of the Finnish 3R Centre. To date, he authored over 170 articles in peer reviewed journals in the areas of nanotoxicology, toxicogenomics, drug discovery, network biology, data modelling and bioinformatics which were cited over 10,000 times. Greco currently receives funding from the Academy of Finland, the EU (HE, H2020, Green Deal, ERC, and IMI2 programs), the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Finnish Red Cross, the Finnish Government, and the European Research Council. One of his recent projects, ARCHIMEDES, which was recently funded by a €2 million ERC Consolidator Grant, focuses on data-driven integrated approaches to chemical safety assessment and drug development based on state-of-the-art big data science, artificial intelligence, toxicogenomics, molecular assays and cell technology.