ILSI-HESI Request for Proposal: Management of the Selection of a Risk Assessment Predicative Algorithm
This is a Request for Proposal (RFP) to manage a competition to select a predictive algorithm for risk assessment for the ILSI Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI) Risk Assessment for the 21st Century (RISK21) project.
Background:
HESI is a non-profit organization that coordinates the discussion of key topics involving human and environmental health and safety. HESI achieves impact by incorporating input from academics, government scientists, and the private sector (known as "tripartite" participation) to achieve consensus on difficult issues.
RISK21 is a HESI project which aims to improve the way risk assessment is done to assess the impact of chemicals on health. The current methodology relies heavily on animal studies which are time consuming and expensive and cause ethical concerns about the use of animals. Many chemicals have not been subjected to what is currently considered to be a full evaluation. New techniques in exposure science, toxicology, and risk assessment are emerging. Scientists from
the academic, industry, and regulatory communities look forward to the use of these new techniques as a mechanism to assure the safety of chemicals to humans and the environment, while conserving time, incurring less expense, and using fewer animals.
The RISK21 project has identified a promising way forward that includes the development of algorithms that can incorporate data generated on many well-studied chemicals. The algorithms would be used as a predictive tool to reduce unnecessary testing on hundreds of poorly studied chemicals. It is envisioned that such a predictive tool would be used to guide the testing and evaluation of chemicals. Initially, the tool will likely be used in the early stages of development and for prioritization, but as confidence in the new methodology grows, it should replace current methods and thus allow many more chemicals to be evaluated than is currently possible.
Review of services to be provided:
HESI will sponsor a competition to develop these algorithms and use them as a predictive tool as described above. The participants in the RISK21 project acknowledge a lack of technical expertise to design, manage, and assess such a competition. This RFP is for consultation to provide the expertise in algorithm development which will enable the competition to be managed to a successful outcome. The response to this RFP should begin with a teleconference with HESI representatives to discuss HESI needs and answer questions regarding the RFP. Once this teleconference has occurred, the proposal should be prepared to address the method, timeand cost to achieve the RFP's goals.
