Context of the track Drug Toxicology & Translational Technology
Studying the safety of drugs is an important part of drug development. The toxicity of a substance is determined by the interactions of a substance at a molecular level, including interaction with receptors, enzymes, DNA and membranes in the body. In addition, the formation and detoxification of reactive metabolites and the level of exposure of the target tissues are important factors for toxicity. Exposure is largely determined by pharmacokinetics (toxicokinetics in case of toxic substances), which includes the rate and extend of absorption, distribution, metabolism including conversion into reactive metabolites and detoxification, and excretion. This field of study is often called ADME-Tox (Absorption, Disposition, Metabolism, Excretion – Toxicology).