Overview
The KC-Assay database (KCAD) is a comprehensive catalog of assays that have been, or could be, used to measure in vivo, ex vivo, in vitro, and in silico endpoints relevant to each of the ten key characteristics (KC) of carcinogens (Rigutto et al., 2025). It includes assays described previously in Smith et al., (2020), as well as assays used to evaluate mechanistic evidence of carcinogenicity related to the KCs in previous IARC Monographs. KCAD can be used to search for assays and endpoints relevant to the KCs, enhancing cancer hazard evaluations. For more detail, see (Rigutto et al., 2025).
Brief Orientation
List view (default)
In the list view, filters can be applied to a KC or KCs (of carcinogens) of interest or “other toxicity” (e.g. endocrine disruption, hematotoxicity”, etc.). Filters related to experimental design, such as study type, organism type (e.g. human, organism, etc.), species, tissue, or cell line/type are also available. To incorporate additional search criteria, users may enter terms of interest in the search bar. Results can be exported as a csv file.
Pivot table view
The pivot table view allows the user to quickly summarize the database by organizing it into a dynamic table that can group, filter, and sort data. Filters or search criteria applied to the database may be viewed in pivot table view by selecting the “Use filtered data for Pivot View” checkbox and the “Switch to pivot view” button. Please note that the user may navigate to the pivot table view without using filtered data. Additional fields, such as study design (e.g. in vivo), organism (e.g. human), cell type (e.g. PBMC), or the monograph chemical where the study was mined from (e.g. Benzene), can be used to apply these criteria as filters. These fields may also be manually dragged into the vertical or horizontal axes of the table to generate a summary display of the assays (or biomarkers, endpoints, etc.) that have been mapped to the KC of interest with the desired filters applied (as indicated by a (+) sign in the summary table). Pivot table results may also be exported as a csv file.
Feedback
Building this database revealed a limited number of assays and endpoints associated with some KCs, pointing to a need for assay development. Please submit feedback and suggestions of additional assays or publications for inclusion by clicking on the “Contact” button or by emailing kc_assay_database@berkeley.edu.