Alessio Gamba is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Biomechanics Research Unit at the University of Liège, one of the partners of the ONTOX project. Alessio is motivated to work at ONTOX because of its emphasis on substituting animal testing. Being in a setting where he can observe other researchers devoting much time and energy to implementing the 3R principles makes him very happy. He believes that all researchers in the in vivo field should use this as an example. The fact that various universities and businesses are collaborating, each with a unique background and focusing on both in vitro and in silico research, adds to the exciting environment.
Find out more about Alessio and dive into the following lines of the next ONTOX #YoungScientist Series.
Alessio, what was behind your motivation to become a scientist?
I think I simply followed a passion that I always had. I remember always being very curious and wanting to investigate and understand the world around me, as every child does, but probably more carefully than others. I was particularly fascinated by taking things apart to see how they worked. I have a great imagination, and I believe training the ability to imagine things is useful in science, also because creative solutions require alternative thinking.
Can you tell us about your primary scientific expertise?
My main expertise is in the fields of computational toxicology and cheminformatics, mainly using machine learning techniques and systems biology approaches. Specifically, regarding systems biology, it is a new approach that we developed in ONTOX. I started developing my skills during an Erasmus internship in Madrid, working in a systems biology laboratory for my master’s thesis. After that experience, I decided to continue my research by doing a PhD and then moving to the computational toxicology field.
Why did you become a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Biomechanics Research Unit (University of Liège)?
I began my scientific career in Milan, first at the university and then at the Mario Negri Institute of Pharmacological Research. I think it is useful in the scientific world to move around and make a change in the work environment. I was already familiar with the ONTOX project, and I discovered the team of Liesbet Geris involved in the project. Their activity was of great interest to me as Liesbet has experience developing mathematical models in the field of systems biology. This kind of approach is very useful in improving current toxicological knowledge, and for this reason, I decided to join her group.
As part of the ONTOX project, what are your responsibilities?
My colleagues and I at the University of Liege are working on the development of physiological maps and ontologies. These tools are fundamental to better understanding the biological mechanisms underlying toxicology. In particular, I am working on the kidney map and ontologies in collaboration with the team of Prof. Masereeuw at the University of Utrecht and the neural tube closure map and ontology in collaboration with the team of Prof. Piersma and Dr. Heusinkveld at RIVM, the Netherlands.
“I believe training the ability to imagine things is useful in science, also because creative solutions require alternative thinking.”
What are your expectations from ONTOX? What has this work already given you?
The ONTOX project has already given me a lot. I engaged with a network of researchers who share my scientific interests. Our results serve as a basis for developing new approaches in toxicology. This is very important, but it is not a definitive goal. What I hope for the future is that what we have started can be validated and become a recognised method, used either to improve understanding or to gather more knowledge in several fields of toxicology, to replace the use of animals in experiments.
Do you work on other interesting scientific projects that aim to reduce or replace testing in animals?
At this time, I devote my time only to ONTOX, but I also plan to work on models and tools that can be applied outside ONTOX. In particular, my team and I, in ONTOX, started working on new mathematical models that can give predictions about toxicity. Still, the approach can have a broad application in other projects. I am also planning to develop some tools that can automate the process of retrieving data and creating models to speed up the analysis.
Have you achieved something in your career of which you are particularly proud?
I am a supporter of the replacement of animal testing, and for this reason I am particularly proud to be accepted to participate in seminars, conferences and initiatives on this topic. In particular, it was a very meaningful experience for me to attend the JRC Summer School on Non-animal Approaches in Science, last year. I had the opportunity to present the work we are doing in the ONTOX project, and many young students learned about this project and showed a big interest in it. I also met many researchers at the summer school who shared my enthusiasm for non-animal methods.
What do you think is the greatest challenge in your life as a young scientist?
Being able to obtain relevant information to be used in toxicology without animal testing is an opportunity that should be exploited as much as possible. Unfortunately, the biggest challenge is getting these new approach methodologies (NAMs) accepted by the scientific and regulatory communities, as they are not the standard approach we used in the past. Especially toward computational methods, there is not enough trust in them, since results on animals are considered safer for humans. We therefore need to spend some time on communication to understand the usefulness of NAMs.
Can you share your future scientific plans?
Once the ONTOX project is finished, if it is possible for me, I hope to continue in other similar projects regarding computational toxicology with a focus on replacing animal testing. There are so many topics in toxicology that need to be investigated. One of the most interesting aspects is the AI methods applied to toxicological prediction, considering the biological-mechanistic information used to explain the toxic effect.
Who is your biggest inspiration in science or general?
Certainly, there have been many important figures of inspiration in the last century. However, I like to look for inspiration continuously from the researchers around me, so my first inspiration definitely comes from my supervisor as well as from all the ONTOX scientists. I like to talk with all the people I meet at the conferences I attend and take inspiration also from their experiences.
Besides making the world better with science, do you have other hobbies?
Outside of work, I don’t have much spare time for hobbies. Currently, I devote some time to my wife and my daughter, trying to organise outdoor activities and travel when possible. I am also dedicating some time to staying in virtual contact with some old and new friends in Italy and other parts of the world.
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