How AI could transform chemical testing

Everyday we rely on governmental regulatory systems and animal testing to tell us if the chemicals we’re exposed to will or won’t hurt us. But what if AI could help us get more ethical and more accurate answers and avoid animal testing altogether?  In today’s episode, Ken is joined by Dr. Thomas Hartung, Ph.D, a professor at John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, whose work spans the fields of environmental health, engineering, molecular microbiology, and immunology. Hartung’s team are developing cutting edge tools in the world of toxicology: AI and human stem cell models that help us understand our genetic reactions to chemicals and, ultimately, make our lives safer.  Hartung argues that AI has the power to analyze vast data sets of untested or undertested chemicals, “cocktail” combinations, and even different exposure rates and frequencies. All these variations can give us a much more nuanced understanding of the chemicals that permeate our lives, potentially reshaping how chemicals are assessed and regulated. For a deeper dive into today’s discussion: https://publichealth.jhu.edu/faculty/2308/thomas-hartung https://caat.publichealth.jhu.edu/ https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1119989 Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week. @kencookspodcast www.ewg.org @environmentalworkinggroup