The Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) Toolbox Management Group presented the QSAR model in 2008,and since around 2010, the Center for Computational Toxicology & Exposure (CCTE) of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) has been developing and utilizing computational toxicology and reviewing existing chemical substances. In response, the US EPA, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have recently expanded the scope of their in silico approaches, such as the threshold of toxicological concern (TTC), QSAR, and read-across, and put them into practical use for risk assessment. However, the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) and the ICH M7: Guidelines for the Evaluation and Management of DNA-Reactive Impurities in Pharmaceuticals for the Reduction of Potential Carcinogenic Risks also promote the use of TTC and QSAR by the government.
In Japan, the Food Safety Commission prepared a draft guidance on the use of QSARs to assess mutagenicity. In the review of chemicals and food additives, read-across predictions are beginning to be carefully applied on a case-by-case basis for substances for which toxicity test data are lacking.
In the future, the use of in silico methods for administrative purposes is expected to expand worldwide. Although animal testing has become difficult for global consensus of 3Rs, the predictability of in vitro testing is limited to approximately 70-80% and may not be more economical than animal testing. The role of in silico methods in safety assessments is expected to increase with time.