The focus of this colloquium is on the methods used in safety assessment of substances present in foods that may target the immune system. The immune system is a complex set of cellular, chemical, and soluble mediators that protects the body against foreign substances. Immunotoxicology is the subdiscipline of toxicology that focuses on unintended modulation of the immune system following exposure to environmental chemicals or therapeutics. Adverse effects may include immunosuppression, immunostimulation, allergic hypersensitivity, or autoimmunity, and may result in outcomes such as increased incidences of infectious diseases or neoplastic diseases, allergy/asthma, or autoimmune diseases, respectively.

The majority of immunotoxicity testing efforts to date have focused on the potential for xenobiotics to suppress immune function or induce dermal sensitization. With the increased use and development of immune-based or immune-targeted therapeutic proteins, unintended stimulation of the immune system has also become an area of concern. The colloquium will begin with a brief overview of the cells and soluble mediators critical to immune function and the tiered testing strategies used to identify substances that may target immune effectors. Following this introduction, experts will provide a state of the art review of methodological approaches using case studies to elucidate how immunotoxicology data can be used in assessing the safety of ingested materials.




 

Presentation Slides

Welcome and Overview
Susan Mayne, PhD, Director, US FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition 
Peter L. Goering, PhD, SOT Vice President, US FDA
 

Introduction to Immunology and Immunotoxicology
Dori R. Germolec, PhD, Immunology Discipline Leader, Toxicology Branch, National Toxicology Program, National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences
 

Immunomodulatory Effects of Perfluoroalkyl Substances in Rodents and Humans
Jamie DeWitt, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University
 

Toxicology and Food Allergy: Case Study of tBHQ
Cheryl Rockwell, Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Michigan State University
 

Dietary Supplement Modulation of Autoimmune Disease
Prakash Nagarkatti, PhD, Vice President for Research, University of South Carolina