Development of soil ecotoxicogenomic endpoints and benchmark dose modeling for streamlined chemical risk assessment

Funding period: 2024-2029
Lead: Juliska Princz
Total GRDI funding: $128,602

Toxicogenomic profiles are being developed for sentinel soil species applicable to ecological risk assessment regimes. Our previous work produced an annotated genome for O. nitens and demonstrated the applicability of toxicogenomics to assess contaminant risk in soil. We propose to expand our research to include additional standardized soil species and integrate microbial biomarkers as critical bioindicators of soil microbial health. Soil microbial health forms the foundation of a One Health approach, and integration of genomic-based biomarkers and species responses provide valuable tools for predicting and assessing the risk of contaminants in soil from a screening to risk assessment perspective. Deliverables will include a suite of tools (e.g., publications) that can serve as guidance on integrating and applying genomic-scale analyses in the risk assessment of soil contaminants. The project does not specifically address issues related to gender, underrepresented groups, or vulnerable populations.