Seminars & Events

Alessandro Venosa, Pharm.D., Ph.D. - Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Utah

Highlighted topic: Pulmonary fibrosis, ozone, inflammation and macrophages

 Nov 14, 2024 @ 11:00 a.m.

 Medical Center | 4-8820

Heather Patisaul, PhD - Professor, North Carolina State University

Highlighted topic: Neurotoxicology and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals

 Nov 07, 2024 @ 11:00 a.m.

 Medical Center | 4-8820

James McGrath, PhD - Professor, University of Rochester

 Oct 24, 2024 @ 11:00 a.m.

 Medical Center | 4-8820

Nathan Cherrington, PhD - Associate Dean, University of Arizona

Highlighted topic: Liver Biology and Toxicology

 Oct 10, 2024 @ 11:00 a.m.

 Medical Center | 4-8820

Sally Thurston, PhD - Professor, University of Rochester

Highlighted topic: TBD

 Sep 26, 2024 @ 11:00 a.m.

 Medical Center | 4-8820

Krithika Lingappan MD MS PhD - Neonatologist, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

Highlighted topic: Neonatal lung injury, sex differences, and SRY gene

 Sep 19, 2024 @ 11:00 a.m.

 Medical Center | 4-8820

Kristina N. Fenner - PhD Candidate, Toxicology PhD Program

Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) differentiate into all of the mature cells of the blood in a process called hematopoiesis. Hematopoiesis is complex in that it is influenced by cell-intrinsic and extrinsic factors, which maintain the appropriate output of erythrocytes, leukocytes and platelets. External stressors, such as injury or infection, trigger HSPCs to change the production of blood cells, often called emergency hematopoiesis. This ability to sense and rapidly respond is essential for maintaining appropriate blood cell numbers; yet, the mechanisms that control emergency hematopoiesis are multifaceted and stressor-dependent. Environmental contaminants are one type of external stressor, and their influence on emergency hematopoiesis remains elusive. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is an environment-sensing intracellular receptor that binds a wide range of synthetic and naturally-derived small molecules. Experimental studies have shown that AHR modulation influences steady-state hematopoiesis, while other studies indicate that AHR ligands influence immune responses to infection. Collectively, these studies suggest that AHR could regulate emergency hematopoiesis; however, this has not been determined. Using several approaches, including exposing mice to the AHR agonist, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), and infection with either a mouse coronavirus (CoV) or a human influenza A virus (IAV), we observed that AHR activation altered multiple aspects of emergency hematopoiesis. During infection with CoV or IAV, AHR activation skewed the proportion of primitive HPSCs and downstream hematopoietic progenitor cells in the bone marrow. These changes were accompanied with altered numbers of mature immune cells in the lung and blood. Furthermore, studies using conditional AHR knockout mice, which lack AHR in hematopoietic cells, showed that AHR expression in hematopoietic cells is necessary to affect emergency hematopoiesis. Also, AHR-mediated alterations to emergency hematopoiesis required AHR to have a functional DNA binding domain (DBD), which suggests AHR likely regulates emergency hematopoiesis by acting as a direct transcriptional regulator. Overall, these data provide novel evidence that AHR activation influences emergency hematopoiesis during respiratory viral infections, further supporting that AHR is a key mediator of hematopoiesis. This work has broad-reaching applications as dysregulated hematopoiesis is linked to the pathology of many diseases such as hematopoietic cancers, severe infections, and autoimmune diseases.

 Jul 02, 2024 @ 1:00 p.m.

 Medical Center | K-207 (2-6408)

Host: Advisor: B. Paige Lawrence, PhD

Keynote lecture:
"ToxicoEpigenetics & the Use of piRNA for Precision Environmental Health Research"
11:00am - 12:00pm

Dana Dolinoy, Ph.D.
NSF International Chair of Environmental Health Sciences
Professor in Environmental Health Sciences
Professor in Nutritional Sciences
University of Michigan School of Public Health

Keynote Flyer

Event Schedule

Zoom link available upon request.  Please contact Leah Brown

 May 30, 2024 @ 8:30 a.m.

 Helen Wood Hall | SON Aud. (1W-304)

Sarah E. Morgan - PhD Candidate, Toxicology PhD Training Program

Microplastics (MPs, 1 μm < MP < 5 mm) are an emerging contaminant of concern due to their persistence and pervasiveness. Environmental MPs are a complex mixture of various plastic polymers and sorbed chemicals that have been shown to have a wide range of toxic effects across numerous species. Since exposure to unknown quantities of MPs is unavoidable for most species, it is necessary to characterize the bioactivity of MPs present in the environment as well as supplement these results with studies using reproducible laboratory synthesized plastic particle mimetics in order to characterize the health risks associated with MP exposure. My contribution to this knowledge gap is two-fold: first we are collecting water samples from the nearshore waters of Lake Ontario near Rochester, NY and analyzing the debris using novel silicon nitride nanomembranes and various in vitro toxicity endpoints, and second, we are generating various plastic particle mimetics and monitoring both sorption and bioactivity. The initial endpoints being investigated across the two approaches are cell viability, aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) activity, estrogen receptor (ER) activity, and IL-6 concentration. Initial mimetics were created using various combinations of polystyrene (PS), 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), bisphenol A (BPA), and atrazine which were selected for their commercial availability, potent AhR activity, well-documented ER activity, and anti-androgenic activity respectively. I hypothesize that MP-contaminant mixtures produce toxicity profiles that are unique from those of both MP and contaminant single exposures. I have found that water samples from Lake Ontario contain isolatable debris including Nile Red positive plastic particles and that this debris is not cytotoxic, but some samples have AhR activity or increased IL-6 concentration. Additionally, I have found that soaking with both TCDD, BPA, and atrazine alters PS morphology, and these changes are reflected in decreasing AhR activity with increasing time for TCDD-PS co-exposures but may not be reflected in changes in ER activity for BPA-PS co-exposures. Overall, our ongoing work highlights the need for additional research into the effects of polymer and chemical identity on the risks associated with inevitable exposure to various MP mixtures.

 May 16, 2024 @ 12:00 p.m.

 Medical Center | K-207 (2-6408)

Host: Advisor: Lisa A. DeLouise, PhD, MPD

Olga Astapova, MD, PhD - Assistant Professor, Endocrinology, University of Rochester

Highlighted topic: Inhaled agents and Inflammation

 May 16, 2024 @ 11:00 a.m.

 Medical Center | 4-8820

Humphrey Hung-Chang Yao, PhD - Senior Principal Investigator, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Highlighted topic: Mammalian reproductive differentiation

 May 02, 2024 @ 11:00 a.m.

 Medical Center | 4-8820

Chris Carlsten, M.D., MPH - Professor, Medicine, Univ. of British Columbia

Highlighted topic: Inhalation toxicity

 Apr 18, 2024 @ 11:00 a.m.

 Medical Center | 4-8820

Regina Rowe, MD, PhD - Assistant Professor, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, University of Rochester

Highlighted topic: Reproductive and endocrinology

 Apr 11, 2024 @ 11:00 a.m.

 Medical Center | 4-8820

Matt McCall, PhD - Associate Professor, Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology

Please contact Rebecca_Ruston@urmc.rochester.edu for the zoom link.

 Mar 07, 2024 @ 11:00 a.m.

 Medical Center | 4-8820

Justin Colacino, PhD, MA, MPH - Associate Professor, University of Michigan

Highlighted topic: Stem Cells and Toxicology

 Feb 29, 2024 @ 11:00 a.m.

 Medical Center | 4-8820

Jason Wu, PhD - Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Nephrology (SMD)

Please contact Rebecca_Ruston@urmc.rochester.edu for the zoom link.

 Feb 22, 2024 @ 11:00 a.m.

 Medical Center | 4-8820

John Onukwufor, PhD - Research Associate Professor, University of Rochester

Highlighted Topic: Metals and Mitochondria

 Feb 08, 2024 @ 11:00 a.m.

 Medical Center | 4-8820

Joel Meyer, PhD - Associate Professor, Duke University

Highlighted topic: Metals and Mitochondria

 Feb 01, 2024 @ 11:00 a.m.

 Medical Center | 4-8820

Rashad Hussain, PhD - Research Assistant Professor, University of Rochester

Highlighted topic: Neurotoxicology and Air Pollution

 Jan 25, 2024 @ 11:00 a.m.

 Medical Center | 4-8820