Shifting perspectives: In vitro, in vivo, transgenic and disease models in inhalation toxicology

Inhalation toxicology is undergoing a profound paradigm shift. Traditional in vivo testing is increasingly complemented, and in some areas replaced, by advanced in vitro methodologies, such as lung-on-a-chip platforms, three-dimensional airway organoids, and air-liquid interface cultures. Concurrently, transgenic models provide refined insights into genetic susceptibilities, while specialized disease models, reproducing conditions like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or pulmonary fibrosis, help bridge the gap between healthy animal models and human pathology.This Research Topic aims to capture these evolving methodologies and highlight how different model systems can be integrated to improve respiratory risk assessment and mechanistic understanding. It is organized in collaboration with the Association of Inhalation Toxicology (AIT) Annual Conference, held on 22 to 24 September 2026 in Madrid, Spain. While we highly encourage participants of the AIT meeting to submit their work, this collection is also open to the broader scientific community.The primary objective of this Research Topic is to showcase the latest advancements, comparative evaluations, and integrations of in vitro, in vivo, transgenic, and disease-specific models in inhalation toxicology. By bringing together diverse perspectives, we aim to address current challenges in translating experimental findings to human health risk assessments and to support the development of next-generation safety evaluation strategies.We welcome original research, reviews, mini-reviews, and perspective articles on themes including, but not limited to:- Development and validation of advanced in vitro and ex vivo systems, such as air-liquid interface (ALI) cultures and precision-cut lung slices (PCLS).- Application of transgenic models to study specific genetic susceptibilities to inhaled toxicants.- Implementation of disease-state models, such as asthma, COPD, and pulmonary fibrosis, for assessing inhaled agents.- Comparative studies evaluating the translational correlation between in vitro alternatives and classical in vivo endpoints.- Integrating new approach methodologies (NAMs) into regulatory inhalation safety frameworks.- Computational and in silico modeling approaches that complement experimental inhalation toxicology. Topic editors: Joanne Kilgour, Simon Moore, Charles John Knill Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84763/shifting-perspectives-in-vitro-in-vivo-transgenic-and-disease-models-in-inhalationtoxicology