2025 Report of the Society for the Advancement of AOPs Knowledgebase Interest Group
The Society for the Advancement of AOPs Knowledgebase Interest Group (SKIG) is an international, community-driven forum dedicated to advancing the Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) framework and its central implementation platform, the AOP-Wiki. Comprising more than 70 experts from regulatory agencies, academia, and research organisations worldwide, SKIG operates through regular online meetings that combine focused technical presentations with open, in-depth discussion.
In 2025, SKIG addressed a wide and evolving range of topics central to the maturation of the AOP framework. These included the harmonisation of Key Events through ontology-based approaches; the development and use of AOP networks, including immune-related, inflammation-driven, and disease-oriented networks; the integration of omics and toxicogenomics data into AOP-based reasoning; quantitative and time-informed AOP development; effect biomarkers and their role in regulatory decision-making; and systematic, data-driven strategies for constructing and evaluating AOPs. In parallel, several contributions explored computational and methodological advances such as knowledge graph mining, semantic analysis, automated quality assessment of emergent AOPs, and the responsible use of artificial intelligence under expert oversight and within established AOP principles to support evidence synthesis and Key Event Relationship development. Updates on tools, standards, and governance-related initiatives further highlighted ongoing, preparatory efforts to improve the FAIRness, interoperability, usability, and future readiness of the AOP-Wiki, including foundational work informing its longer-term evolution.
This breadth of topics reflects the diversity of the SKIG audience, spanning scientists, regulators, and policymakers, and underscores the group’s role as a cross-disciplinary meeting point where emerging concepts can be critically examined before broader adoption. The thematic organisation of this report allows readers to engage directly with subjects of particular relevance rather than following a strictly chronological sequence of meetings. By documenting the SKIG meetings held in 2025, the report captures both the current state and the forward trajectory of the group, which will continue its activities in 2026 and beyond.
Through its sustained focus on methodological clarity, practical implementation, and community-driven innovation, SKIG contributes directly to the development and application of AOPs in support of the European Union’s policy on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes (Directive 2010/63/EU) and the European Commission’s Roadmap towards phasing out animal testing for chemical safety assessments.
WITTWEHR Clemens;
ALB Miriam;
AUDOUZE Karine;
CLERBAUX Laure-Alix;
HENCH Virginia;
JELIAZKOVA Nina;
LIN Julie;
MORGAN Hannah;
MORTENSEN Holly;
OSTASZEWSKI Marek;
POLLESCH Nathan;
SCHAFFERT Alexandra;
SERRA Angela;
SEWALD Katherina;
TANABE Shihori;
TAO Reyna;
TROPSHA Alexander;
TUCKER Nyssa;
VILLENEUVE Dan;
WIKLUND Linus;
2026-03-27
Publications Office of the European Union
JRC144096
978-92-68-37566-2 (online),
1831-9424 (online),
EUR 40641,
OP KJ-01-26-068-EN-N (online),
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC144096,
10.2760/9951235 (online),
