Formatting ToxCast and NICE cHTS data into OECD reporting templates
OECD has developed harmonized templates for standardized reporting of chemical information including potential human health and environmental effects. OECD Harmonised Template (OHT) 201: Intermediate Effects aims to capture mechanistic information from chemical test results generated by NAMs, such as in vitro testing or in silico methods.
NICEATM developed a workflow for curating HTS assay data from EPA’s invitrodb (v. 4.2) that included an annotation scheme to provide biological context to cHTS data and enable toxicological interpretation. The scheme incorporates annotations from the OBO Foundry, a harmonized and interoperable database consisting of multiple knowledge areas to encompass a broader range of biologic and toxicologic processes. These annotations are available through the NIH Integrated Chemical Environment. Assay description documents based on OECD Guidance Document 211, which outlines ways to harmonize nonguideline in vitro methods, have been made available for ToxCast assay endpoints through invitrodb. These documents describe the details of each assay technology, performance metrics, and data analysis procedures, which align with information requested for OHT 201 fields.
Ongoing annotation efforts by NICEATM, EPA, and the European Joint Research Centre include:
- Identification of HTS-relevant OHT 201 fields
- Alignment of OBO Foundry annotations and mapping information from NICE and invitrodb to OHT 201 fields
- Development of automation workflows to upload information to the International Uniform Chemical Information Database