| Mission |
Research area and mission: The research at the Division of Toxicology is molecular-driven mechanistic research focussing on the fields of Food Toxicology and Environmental Toxicology. Based on mechanistic understanding, toxicological processes related to human and environmental health are translated into risk analysis for human health and ecological processes. The Division of Toxicology actively contributes to issues like: safety evaluation of new and existing food ingredients, nanotoxicology, contaminants in the food chain, endocrine disruption, development of biomarker techniques for tracing contaminant effects, and alternative in vitro and in silico methods for toxicological risk assessment contributing to REACH (the new EU legislation called Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of CHemicals). This state-of-the-art research performed at the Division of Toxicology can be achieved by methodological specialisation allowing us to keep our infrastructure for this purpose up-to-date, by close cooperation with other national and international leading research groups formalised through endowed chairs and by active participation in expert networks. Research at the Division of Toxicology has, although fundamental in nature, strong connections and links with industry and regulatory authorities. Toxicological research is pivotal for safety assessments in the field of food safety and environmental safety. The output and reputation of the Division of Toxicology is recognized and as a result the staff not only plays an important scientific role, but also an important advisory role in society concerning issues of toxicological risk assessment for human and environmental health. |
