Toxicokinetic-toxicodynamic modelling

Level: Bachelor/Master (internship/thesis)
Topic: Environmental toxicology; Biology; Ecological modelling; Biodiversity
Duration: 4-5 months
Starting date: Any time
Supervisor: T.T. Yen Le

Research description
During the research, students will be provided with fundamental skills in ecological modelling with the focus on toxicokinetic-toxicodynamic (TK-TD) modelling.

Problem description
Given the influence of exposure time and time-varying exposure, the effect concentration (such as the median effect/lethal concentration) is merely a description, i.e. describing the effects in a certain setting with constant exposure under standardised test conditions. A more mechanistic approach is required to simulate the factor of “time”. With the ability to simulate the time course of processes that affect toxic effects, toxicokinetic-toxicodynamic models have been increasingly applied and included in OECD/ISO guidance for the analysis of dose-response data. Furthermore, the integration of physiological processes increase the potential application and extrapolation of the model.

The research will focus on the following components:

• Developing the relation between the internal concentration and the external concentration
• Predicting the concentration at target sites
• Developing the relation between the concentration at target sites and biological responses
• Calibrating and validating the model for various contaminants and organisms