Progress and Challenges in Diagnostics of Biotoxins Exposure
A special issue of Toxins (ISSN 2072-6651).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 September 2023) | Viewed by 490
Special Issue Editors
Interests: chemical and biological agents; toxicology; toxicokinetics; PBPK modeling; diagnosis; medical interventions; administration routes; model validity
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The threat posed by biotoxins is perceived as realistic in view of their high intrinsic toxicity and worldwide availability from natural sources, including the relative ease of isolation.
As with any form of intoxication, a rapid diagnosis is essential in order to enable adequate medical intervention. Such a diagnosis may be based on the toxidrome induced by the biotoxin, which may not always allow the determination of the actual agent in enough time, as it may be difficult to differentiate between the toxidromes of various biotoxins, certainly in the early stages of intoxication. As an alternative, we could try to identify the biotoxin itself in biological samples, for instance, by using immunochemical or mass spectrometric methods, or a combination thereof, which is a challenge due to the low concentrations at which biotoxins exert their toxic effects. Another approach is the use of a functional method, such as the Endopep assay for botulinum toxins and the depurination assay for ricin.
Recent technological developments may provide opportunities to improve the diagnosis of exposure to biotoxins. Among others, artificial intelligence (AI) has been shown to aid differential diagnoses of toxidromes induced by various chemical threat agents. Additionally, mass spectrometric methods are becoming more and more sensitive. In addition, the relatively new CRISPR-Cas technology holds promise for the development of diagnostic tests for proteins and small molecules.
The Special Issue of Toxins will address the progress made and that foreseen in the near future in the diagnosis of biotoxins as well as the challenges to overcome.
Dr. Jan P. Langenberg
Dr. Marcel J. Van der Schans
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- toxins
- biotoxins
- diagnosis
- toxidrome
- immunoassay
- mass spectrometry
- functional assay
- artificial intelligence
- CRISPR-Cas
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