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  1. Science & Research (NCTR)

Xiaoqing Guo Ph.D.

Research Biologist — Genetic and Molecular Toxicology

Headshot of Dr. Xiaoqing Guo

Xiaoqing Guo, Ph.D.
(870) 543-7121
NCTRResearch@fda.hhs.gov  

Back to NCTR Principal Investigator page

About  |  Publications  |  Lab Member

Background

Xiaoqing Guo received a master’s degree in pathology and a Ph.D. degree in medical sciences from Hebei Medical University, China. She started her scientific career in clinical cancer research, including diagnosis and treatment of early cancers, as a physician in the 4th Affiliated Hospital of Hebei Medical University (also known as the Hebei Cancer Institute). Her Ph.D. training extended her career into molecular biomarker screening for esophageal cancer in a high-risk area of China. In 2008, Dr. Guo was recruited as a postdoctoral fellow in the Division of Genetic and Molecular Toxicology (DGMT) at FDA’s National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR). Following postdoctoral training, Dr. Guo was hired as a research associate in Toxicologic Pathology Associates, Inc. (TPA) and in 2012, Dr. Guo joined NCTR/DGMT as a Principal Investigator. Dr. Guo has authored or coauthored more than 80 papers. She currently serves on the editorial and scientific review boards of several toxicological journals. She regularly makes oral or poster presentations at national and international scientific meetings.

 

Research Interests

Since joining DGMT, Dr. Guo has been working intently to evaluate the mutagenicity as well as molecular mechanisms of chemicals of FDA regulatory interest using the in vitro genetic toxicity assays included in the standard test battery. Dr. Guo is also an expert in conducting in vitro mouse lymphoma assay, the micronucleus (MN) assay, the comet assay, as well as in vivo mutation assays and pathway-based mechanistic study. She has used these assays for evaluating the mutagenicity of a variety of preparations of cigarette smoke (smoke condensates, whole smoke solutions, whole smoke, and individual agents representing different chemical classes contained in cigarette smoke), nanomaterials, botanical chemicals and mixtures, industrial compounds, and retail products.

Her current research interest is to develop and validate in vitro new alternative methodologies (NAMs) using human-derived metabolically competent cells for genotoxicity testing. Her lab has established in vitro culture systems using human hepatic HepaRG cells cultured in both 2D (attached) and 3D (spheroid) format for conducting high-throughput genotoxicity assays, including the DNA damage (CometChip) assay and flow-cytometry-based MN assay. 3D HepaRG spheroids have demonstrated an increased metabolic activity and high sensitivity to detect the genotoxic effects of carcinogenic compounds, particularly those requiring metabolic activation. Recently, her lab has expanded the genotoxicity endpoints conducted with this model by detecting mutagenesis using error-corrected next generation sequencing technologies, making this model a robust human-based metabolically competent platform for mutagenicity testing.

Dr. Guo is also interested in employing quantitative dose-response modeling approaches to evaluate the genotoxic dose-response relationships. She is interested in conducting a comparative study to determine how the benchmark dose values generated from HepaRG cells are comparable with those from in vivo studies using quantitative in vitro to in vivo extrapolation approaches. An ultimate goal is to investigate whether HepaRG cells can be used as a NAM to generate health-based guidance values for human risk assessment, helping reduce, refine, and even replace animal testing in genotoxicity assessment.

 

Professional Societies/National and International Groups

Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society
Member
2009 – Present

Society of Toxicology
Member
2009 – Present

 

Select Publications

Evaluating the Mutagenicity of N-nitrosodimethylamine in 2D and 3D HepaRG Cell Cultures Using Error-Corrected Next Generation Sequencing.  
Seo J.E., Le Y., Revollo J., Miranda-Colon J., Xu H., McKinzie P., Mei N., Chen T., Heflich R.H., Zhou T., Robison T., Bonzo J.A., and Guo X.
Arch Toxicol. 2024, 98(6):1919-1935.
 
Application of HepaRG Cells for Genotoxicity Assessment: A Review.  
Guo X., Xu H., and Seo J.E. 
J Environ Sci Health C Toxicol Carcinog. 2024, 42(3):214-237.

Genotoxicity Assessment of Eight Nitrosamines Using 2D and 3D HepaRG Cell Models.  
Seo J.E., Yu J.Z., Xu H., Li X., Atrakchi A.H., McGovern T., Davis-Bruno K.L., Mei N., Heflich R.H., and Guo X. 
Arch Toxicol. 2023, 97:2785–2798. 

Revisiting the Mutagenicity and Genotoxicity of N-nitroso Propranolol in Bacterial and Human In Vitro Assays. 
Li X., Le Y., Seo J.E., Guo X., Li Y., Chen S., Mittelstaedt R.A., Moore N., Guerrero S., Sims A., King S.T., Atrakchi A.H., McGovern T.J., Davis-Bruno K.L., Keire D.A., Elespuru R.K., Heflich R.H., and Mei N. 
Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2023,141:105410.

High‑Throughput Micronucleus Assay Using Three‑Dimensional HepaRG Spheroids for In Vitro Genotoxicity Testing. 
Seo J.E., Li X., Le Y., Mei N., Zhou T., and Guo X. 
Arch Toxicol. 2023, 97(4): 1163–1175. 

Quantitative In Vitro to In Vivo Extrapolation (IVIVE) of Genotoxicity Data Provides Protective Estimates of In Vivo Dose.
Beal M.A., Audebert M., Barton-Maclaren T., Battaion H., Bemis J.C., Cao X., Chen C., Dertinger S.D., Froetschl R., Guo X., Johnson G., Hendriks G., Khoury L., Long A.S., Pfuhler S., Settivari R.S., Wickramasuriya S., and White P.  
Environ Mol Mutagen. 2023, 64:105–122. 

Evaluation of an In Vitro Three-Dimensional HepaRG Spheroid Model for Genotoxicity Testing Using the High-Throughput CometChip Platform.
Seo J.E., He X., Muskhelishvili L., Malhi P., Mei N., Manjanatha M.G., Bryant M., Zhou T., Robison T., and Guo X.
ALTEX. 2023, 39(4): 583-604. 

Genotoxicity Evaluation of Nitrosamine Impurities Using Human TK6 Cells Transduced with Cytochrome P450s.
Li X., He X., Le Y., Guo X., Bryant M.S., Atrakchi A.H., McGovern T.J., Davis-Bruno K.L., Keire D.A., Heflich R.H., and Mei N.
Arch Toxicol. 2022, 96:3077–3089.

Genotoxicity Evaluation Using Primary Hepatocytes Isolated from Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta). 
Seo J.E., Davis K., Malhi P., He X., Bryant M., Talpos J., Burks S., Mei N., and Guo X. 
Toxicology. 2021, 462: 152936. 

Mechanistic Evaluation of Black Cohosh Extract-Induced Genotoxicity in Human Cells.
Seo J.E., Guo X., Petibone D.M., Shelton S.D., Chen Y., Li X., Tryndyak V., Smith-Roe S.L., Witt K.L., Mei N., and Manjanatha M.G.
Toxicol Sci. 2021, 182(1), 96–106. 

Mutagenicity of Silver Nanoparticles Evaluated Using Whole-Genome Sequencing in Mouse Lymphoma Cells.
Pan B., Kaldhone P.R., Alund A.W., Du H., Guo X., Yan J., Chen Y., Zhou T., Robison T.W., and Chen T. 
Nanotoxicology. 2021, 15(3):418-432. 

Performance of HepaRG and HepG2 Cells in the High-Throughput Micronucleus Assay for In Vitro Genotoxicity Assessment. 
Guo X., Seo J.E., Petibone D., Tryndyak V., Lee U.J., Zhou T., Robison T.W., and Mei N. 
J Toxicol Environ Health A Current Issues. 2020, 83:21-22, 702-717. 

Evaluation of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloid-Induced Genotoxicity Using Metabolically Competent TK6 Cell Lines.
Li X., He X., Chen S., Guo X., Bryant M.S., Guo L., Manjanatha M.G., Zhou T., Witt K.L., and Mei N. 
Food Chem Toxicol. 2020, 145:111662. 

Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Apoptosis Underlie the Hepatotoxicity of Perhexiline. 
Ren Z., Chen S., Seo J.E., Guo X., Li D., Ning B., and Guo L. 
Toxicol. In Vitro. 2020, 69:104987.

Workshop Series to Identify, Discuss and Develop Recommendations for the Optimal Generation and Use of In Vitro Assay Data for Tobacco Product Evaluation: Phase 1 Genotoxicity Assays.
Moore M.M., Clements J., Desai P., Doshi U., Gaca M., Guo X., Hashizume T., Jordan K.G., Lee K.M., Leverette R., McHugh D., Miller-Holt J., Philips G., Raabe H., Recio L., Roy S., Smart D.J., Stankowski L.F. Jr., Thorne D., Weber E., Wieczorek R., Yoshino K., and Curren R. 
Appl In Vitro Toxicol. 2020, 6(2): 49-63.

Performance of High-Throughput CometChip Assay Using Primary Human Hepatocytes: A Comparison of DNA Damage Responses with In Vitro Human Hepatoma Cell Lines.
Seo J.E., Wu Q., Bryant M., Ren L., Shi Q., Robison T.W., Mei N., Manjanatha M.G., and Guo X. 
Arch Toxicol. 2020, 94(6): 2207-2224.

Genetic Toxicity Assessment Using Liver Cell Models: Past, Present, and Future.
Guo X., Seo J.E., Li X., and Mei N.
J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev. 2020, 23(1):27-50.

Quantitative Comparison of In Vitro Genotoxicity Between Metabolically Competent HepaRG Cells and HepG2 Cells Using the High-Throughput High-Content CometChip Assay. 
Seo J.E., Tryndyak V., Wu Q., Dreval K., Pogribny I., Bryant M., Zhou T., Robison T.W., Mei N., and Guo X. 
Arch Toxicol. 2019, 93(5):1433-1448.

 

Lab Members

Contact information for all lab members:
(870) 543-7121
NCTRResearch@fda.hhs.gov

Ji-Eun Seo, Ph.D.
Staff Fellow

Hannah Xu, Ph.D.
ORISE Fellow

Contact Information
Xiaoqing Guo
(870) 543-7121
Expertise
Expertise
Approach
Domain
Technology & Discipline
Toxicology
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