Sir

Marcello Lotti and Pierluigi Nicotera, in their Concepts essay on toxicology (Nature 416, 481; 2002), raise important issues about the seminal contribution made by the use of toxins as probes to our understanding of fundamental principles and functions of biological systems. But their claim that “basic research has, over the past two decades, become irrelevant to many toxicologists” is not true.

As the current and incoming presidents of the Society of Toxicology, a professional organization of more than 5,000 members, we can attest that our society has worked diligently to undo that outdated image of toxicology, and has taken up the challenge that “Toxicology research should urgently appraise its performance and join mainstream biomedical science”. This is reflected in the quality of science presented at the society's meetings and published in leading journals. As part of a long-range plan to guide research, education and outreach (see http://www.toxicology.org), our priorities are to facilitate research with an emphasis on mechanisms of action, and to increase the use of relevant science in risk assessment and decision-making.

Lotti and Nicotera state “Toxicology is being shaped by worldwide political agendas, triggered by the public's desire for swift and precautionary solutions to the possible health effects of environmental chemicals.” Risk assessment of chemical hazards is fraught with uncertainty, and the science of toxicology is sometimes misrepresented. It is in the public perception of hazards and health risks, and the blurred distinction between science and policy (see Roger A. Pielke's Commentary: Nature 416, 367–368; 2002) that toxicology receives a 'bad rap'.

Many factors go into risk-management decisions, and toxicology is but one piece of a complicated and highly political process managed by others with limited understanding of fundamental science. Basic research alone will not resolve uncertainty or conflict in risk assessment.

Fostering basic research is a primary goal of our discipline. But building better ways to put fundamental knowledge into risk assessment and regulatory practice is also vital. We believe that using knowledge to benefit human health is a responsibility shared by the entire biomedical research community. The National Institutes of Health and other sponsors of biomedical research continue to emphasize that the results obtained at the laboratory bench need to translate to improvements in the health of the public at large.