HESI Global Insights January 2026

We are proud to announce that the Omics for Assessing Signatures for Integrated Safety (OASIS) Consortium has been shortlisted for the 2026 Lush Prize in the Science Prize category.

Additionally, OASIS’s newest postdoc Jonne Rietdijk is included on the Young Researcher Prize shortlist.

The Lush Prize is the largest global awards programme dedicated to ending and replacing animal testing, supporting impactful initiatives across science, advocacy, training, and public awareness. Being shortlisted is a testament to the quality, relevance, and translational potential of OASIS’s work toward human-relevant, non-animal testing methods.

We extend our gratitude to the Lush Prize judges and organizers, as well as to all partners and contributors who have supported this journey. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony in May 2026 — stay tuned for the results.

View the 2026 Prize Shortlist here: https://lushprize.org/2026-prize/2026-prize-shortlist/

The gains in cancer survival highlighted in “More Americans are surviving cancer — even the deadliest ones” are encouraging. As Dr. Dahut of the American Cancer Society notes, having more survivors is a triumph—but it also raises an urgent question about how those survivors live.

One area that remains underemphasized is predicting and reducing treatment-related toxicity before it causes lasting harm. Too many survivors experience long-term cognitive, cardiac, or neurological effects that may be mitigated through better-evidenced, better-targeted treatment strategies and earlier attention to safety signals.

Survival should not be the sole metric of success. As the survivor population grows, research that anticipates harm—not just reacts to it—will help determine whether longer lives are also healthier ones. HESI THRIVE supports this goal by advancing science that helps ensure cancer survival is accompanied by a robust quality of life. Learn more at hesithrive.org.

We’re excited to share that Syril Pettit, HESI Global Executive Director, has officially begun her two-year volunteer term as President of the Virginia Public Health Association (VPHA). This role follows her previous service as Vice President and highlights her continued dedication to advancing science-driven public health solutions.

Syril brings to VPHA a strong track record of fostering cross-sector collaboration, grounded in her leadership at HESI Global. Her focus on science, community health, and equity aligns closely with VPHA’s mission to promote and protect the health of all Virginians.

Please join us in congratulating Syril on this well-deserved leadership role—we look forward to the impact she’ll make in the years ahead!

HESI Global is pleased to recognize Dr. Markus Brinkmann, Associate Professor in the University of Saskatchewan’s School of Environment and Sustainability and Director of the Toxicology Centre, for his contributions to the HESI Next Generation Ecological Risk Assessment (Next Gen EcoRisk) Committee, both as a committee member and as a Steering Team member. Dr. Brinkmann has been instrumental in guiding the biotransformation and bioaccumulation work within the committee, bringing scientific rigor and a steady focus on usable deliverables that are fit for purpose for next-generation ecological risk assessment.

A key area where Dr. Brinkmann’s influence is especially evident is the committee’s support for developing an in vitro avian biotransformation method to support avian bioaccumulation assessment. The Next Gen EcoRisk committee has been supporting a multi-year project at the University of Saskatchewan to develop a bird in vitro biotransformation assay. Dr. Brinkmann’s lab has led method development and refinement for this effort.

We extend our thanks to Dr. Brinkmann for his leadership, collaboration, and lasting contributions to the committee’s work.

The 2025 Annual Report highlights a year of meaningful scientific collaboration and progress across HESI’s global community. It reflects our ongoing commitment to advancing science that informs real-world decisions in human and environmental health.

Through the work of our multi-sector scientific committees and partners, HESI Global continues to serve as a trusted platform for data-driven, consensus-based science that supports improved safety assessment and sustainable development.

We thank our collaborators from academia, government, industry, and NGOs for your continued partnership.

Read the full 2025 Annual Report: https://connect.hesiglobal.org/rmyUFa

The Emerging Systems Toxicology Committee (eSTAR) is pleased to recognize the contributions of Ms. Kati Vennemen, PhD candidate at the University of Kansas Medical Center, working under Dr. Udayan Apte. As part of her PhD project, Kati has been partially funded by the eSTAR Committee to advance the Carcinogenomics Working Group.

Kati has supported the Carcinogenomics project since 2024 by:

Conducting novel laboratory work to directly support gene signature development: Kati, with support from the Apte lab, conducted a large-scale in vivo study using wild-type and knockout rats. The gene expression data from the liver samples will allow the Working Group to test and refine their gene signatures for pathways relevant to rat tumorigenesis. This work will support the advancement of omics techniques for the refinement and potential reduction of animal use in cancer bioassays.

Writing scientific manuscripts: Kati is leading two papers based on the experimental study and will co-author at least two more from the Working Group, helping to advance her career with high-impact science.

Presenting scientific posters and presentations: She has presented at local and international conferences, including multiple Society of Toxicology meetings, on behalf of the Working Group.

Interacting with cross-sector experts: As a member of the Working Group, she has had the opportunity to engage with experts from academia, government, and industry, with expertise in toxicology, bioinformatics, and omics.

We applaud Kati’s hard work, commitment to the project, and contributions to advancing regulatory toxicology testing!

How reliable is the data linking genital talc use to ovarian cancer risk? Join us for an insightful webinar featuring Dr. Igor Burstyn, a leading expert in environmental and occupational epidemiology, as he dissects the role of recall bias in interpreting population-based case-control studies.

Dr. Burstyn will demonstrate how crude odds ratios may overstate associations due to exposure misclassification. By applying Bayesian methods using bias parameters from an IARC expert elicitation, his analysis adjusts the reported odds ratio from 1.3 (95% CI: 1.2–1.4) to a posterior mean of 1.1 (95% credible interval: 0.7–1.8)—highlighting a significant reduction in the certainty of the observed association.

This session will be of particular interest to:

• Epidemiologists and biostatisticians
• Risk assessors and regulatory scientists
• Public health professionals
• Anyone engaged in evaluating observational data for public health decision-making

Dr. Burstyn is a professor at Drexel University and Editor-in-Chief of Global Epidemiology. With expertise in measurement error and confounding in observational research, he brings a rigorous and candid perspective to interpreting epidemiologic evidence.

This webinar is hosted by HESI’s Environmental Epidemiology for Risk Assessment (EnviroEpi) Committee in collaboration with the QBA Special Interest Group of the International Society of Environmental Epidemiology as part of our commitment to advancing science-based solutions that improve human and environmental health.

Register on the event page here.

Join us this April for a special two-day Benchmark Dose (BMD) Modeling for Risk Assessment webinar, hosted by the Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI).

Participation: Open to the public including regulatory scientists, researchers, industry professionals, and those interested in learning about applications of BMD. All talks will be recorded and made available after the sessions.

Registration: Click here to register
Agenda: Download here

Overview
HESI Global is hosting a webinar series on Benchmark dose modeling (BMD). BMD is increasingly used in risk assessment, yet differences in methods, tools, and key concepts continue to limit consistency across sectors and regulatory frameworks. This webinar brings together experts across regions from regulatory agencies, academia, and industry to share global perspectives on BMD modeling. Cross-sector perspectives are brought together to examine current practices, share lessons learned, and identify opportunities for greater alignment supporting more consistent and harmonized application of BMD approaches.

Day 1: Foundations and Applications of BMD
Day 1 will provide a shared foundation in BMD modeling, including the evolution from NOAEL-based approaches to BMD and its role in modern risk assessment. Speakers will cover core concepts and practical applications across a range of endpoint types, including repeat-dose toxicity, genetic toxicology, developmental and reproductive studies, ecotoxicology, omics, and epidemiology. Interactive discussions will highlight common challenges and areas of convergence.

Day 2: Cross-Sector Challenges and Paths Toward Harmonization
Day 2 will focus on real-world challenges in applying BMD modeling across sectors such as agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals, food and consumer products. Regulatory and industry perspectives will examine issues including study design, data quality and availability, model and software selection, and shared conceptual frameworks. Participants will engage in live polling and panel discussions to help identify priority areas where harmonization efforts may be most impactful.

Outcomes
The webinar will set the stage for follow-on discussions aimed at prioritizing feasible harmonization topics and identifying next steps for collaborative efforts across sectors.

Planning Committee
Dr. Alan Boobis – Imperial College London
Dr. Felix Kluxen – BASF
Dr. Sheila Logan – APVMA (Retired)
Dr. Andy Nong – Health Canada
Emily Scorgie – Syngenta
Philip Villanueva – US EPA
Andrew Williams – Health Canada

Contact Information
If you have questions about this webinar series, please contact the HESI staff listed below.
Claire O’Brien – cobrien@hesiglobal.org
Raechel Puglisi – rpuglisi@hesiglobal.org
Michelle Embry – membry@hesiglobal.org

The Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI Global) is pleased to announce our participation in the 65th Annual Society of Toxicology (SOT) Meeting and ToxExpo, taking place March 22–25, 2026, in San Diego, California.

HESI Global will be well-represented by the Botanical Safety Consortium, the Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology Committee, the Emerging Systems Toxicology for the Assessment of Risk (eSTAR) Committee, and the Immuno-Safety Technical Committee, who will contribute through scientific talks and poster presentations.

Full details on HESI’s sessions and activities are available on our event page here.

We look forward to seeing you in San Diego!

The Botanical Safety Consortium (BSC) is offering a special training course titled “Cultivating Safety: Toxicology 101 for Botanicals and Natural Products” on Sunday, April 19, 2026, from 12:00–4:00 PM CT in Oxford, Mississippi, as part of the International Conference on the Science of Botanicals (ICSB).

This interactive short course will offer a deep dive into the world of botanical safety, bridging the gap between their traditional uses and modern applications in supplements, medicines, and cosmetics. Attendees will explore key concepts such as:

• Routes of botanical exposure
• Botanical-drug interactions
• Dose-response relationships
• Acute and chronic toxicity methods and approaches
• Relevant health endpoints

Expert instructors from leading institutions will guide the sessions and small group case studies.

• Stefan Gafner – American Botanical Council
• Holly Johnson – American Herbal Products Association
• Connie Mitchell – HESI Botanical Safety Consortium
• Cynthia Rider – National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
• Amy Roe – The Procter & Gamble Company
• Richard van Breemen – Oregon State University

Lunch is included, but space is limited. Registration is available for a nominal $15 fee during ICSB registration at www.oxfordicsb.org

We encourage early registration to secure your spot!

Download Course Flyer

Advancing Seizure Risk Assessment with Human-Relevant NAMs

This paper highlights opportunities to implement new approach methodologies for both drug-induced seizure and epilepsy research. Microelectrode arrays (MEAs) with human iPSC-derived neurons offer a high-throughput, non-animal alternative for early seizure risk screening—addressing both public health needs and drug development challenges.

The publication also integrates adverse outcome pathway (AOP) frameworks to map seizure mechanisms, helping improve the prediction of drug-induced seizures and support regulatory decision-making.

With one in three epilepsy patients experiencing drug resistance, this work supports the development of patient-specific, human-relevant tools for more effective treatment and safety evaluation.

This research directly aligns with HESI Global’s mission to develop science-based solutions for a safer, more sustainable world.

Read the full article: Roberts et al., 2025. Use of new approach methodologies (NAMs) in epilepsy research and seizure risk assessment. Drug Discovery Today. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drudis.2025.104569

We’re pleased to share a new publication from the HESI Global UVCB Committee: “Environmental risk assessment and testing of UVCBs through balanced consideration of whole substances and representative constituent data: a tripartite perspective.”

The issue: Substances of unknown or variable composition, complex reaction products, or biological materials (UVCBs) are common in commerce and make up an estimated 20–25% of substances in global chemical registries. Their variable and sometimes partially uncharacterized compositions can make environmental testing and risk assessment challenging.

Why it matters: Regulators, industry, and the scientific community need practical, science-based and fit-for-purpose approaches to test and risk assess complex substances in order to protect ecological and human health.

The problem: Traditional methods are often ill-adapted to the testing of complex substances, but the testing of their constituents can sometimes fail to represent realistic environmental conditions. Therefore, solely evaluating the whole substance (WS) or its representative constituents (RCs) would only provide limited information.

The solution: Drawing on insights from HESI Global’s international, tripartite workshop (Reykjavik, Iceland; Sept 18–19, 2023), this paper refines an exposure-centric tiered framework and proposes a guide to help UVCB evaluators develop testing and assessment strategies that balance WS and RC data.

The benefit: A more systematic, transparent, efficient, and robust weight-of-evidence approach for UVCB testing and environmental risk assessment.

Read the full article here: Deglin et al., 2026. Environmental risk assessment and testing of UVCBs through balanced consideration of whole substances and representative constituent data: a tripartite perspective. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management. https://doi.org/10.1093/inteam/vjaf200

On December 3, 2025, Dr. Michelle Embry delivered an overview lecture on the RISK21 Risk Assessment Framework to a representative from the Korea Rural Development Authority (Korea RDA), in partnership with NSF, with a focus on the safety evaluation of agrochemicals. This lecture was part of a broader NSF-organized training program designed to inform Korea RDA’s development of an agrochemicals evaluation framework. Future collaboration opportunities with Korea RDA are anticipated, particularly related to RISK21 as well as the HESI Transforming the Evaluation of Agrochemicals (TEA) Committee.

Dr. Michelle Embry was an invited expert at this meeting, organized by the Center of Excellence on Environmental Health and Toxicology through the Hub of Talents in Environmental Health project under the National Research Council of Thailand. The meeting was held in Bangkok, Thailand, at the Chulabhorn Research Institute (CRI) and served as a follow-up to a larger 2024 international conference. This smaller consultative meeting aimed to discuss potential collaborative efforts across various stakeholders and identify key areas of common interest. Delegates and participants represented Bhutan, China, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, and Zambia. In addition, presentations on ongoing collaborations were given by CRI, HESI Global, WHO, and the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GAHP). Work was initiated to scope out several key areas where future projects or collaborations might be fruitful, and HESI Global was identified as a partner to help facilitate these partnerships, particularly related to training and capacity building.

Dr. Michelle Embry served once again as a lecturer for the Chulabhorn Research Institute International Training Course on Environmental Health Risk Assessment and Management of Toxic Chemicals in Bangkok, Thailand. The course was attended by 44 participants and students from 20 countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, The Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, and Zambia. The lectures focused on exposure assessment and human and ecological risk assessment, with guided case studies on regionally relevant topics.

Learn more about the HESI Global Risk Assessment Training Center (GRATC)

I was recently made aware of a quote that I think encapsulates one of the most important things that HESI Global does:

“If I had an hour to solve a problem I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.”
― Albert Einstein

This is problem formulation in a nutshell—and it’s where all of our programs at HESI Global begin and continually return. While it’s exciting and rewarding to jump into solving a problem, one of the hardest and most critical steps is clearly defining what problem we are actually trying to solve.

We are good at developing solutions, but those first 55 minutes—deeply understanding and framing the problem—are where we truly thrive.

Here’s to a 2026 full of thoughtful problem formulation.

Michelle Embry, PhD, HESI Global Deputy Director