Research

The main research activities of Toxicology Training Program faculty can be described by the following seven keystone areas of emphasis: Pulmonary & Cardiovascular Toxicology, Immunotoxicology, Behavioral and Neurotoxicology, Musculoskeletal Toxicology, Reproductive & Developmental Toxicology, Dermal Toxicology, and Endocrine Toxicology. These areas of research are integrated via thematic pillars that reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the ongoing research, namely Particles and Air Pollution, Molecular-Genetic Modifiers of Toxicity, Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, Epigenetic Regulatory Systems, and Societal Determinants of Disease.

As depicted below, faculty research is multidisciplinary and collaborative in nature; thus, many mentors are actively involved in research that spans more than one of the seven areas of emphasis within our training program. These research programs provide a strong environment for PhD and postdoctoral training, and provide a rich multi-disciplinary environment for our trainees to expand their tools and explore their creative ideas to address significant problems in environmental health.

Pulmonary & Cardiovascular Toxicology

• Dean Lab - Gene Therapy, regulation of nuclear import, targeting vectors for pulmonary disease treatment
• Elder Lab - Toxicology of inhaled ultrafine/nanoscale and other particles and the physiochemical, molecular and cellular basis for adverse effects in the pulmonary, cardiovascular, and central nervous systems
• Fazal Lab – Mechanisms of acute lung injury (ALI)/Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
• Georas Lab - Mucosal immunology and asthma, innate and adaptive immune system roles in pathologic type 2 immune responses
• Kottman Lab - Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, anti-fibrotic properties of ligands ovarian cancer G-protein receptor 1 (OGR1) and the T-cell death associated gene 8 (TDAG8)
• O'Reilly Lab - Developmental origins of lung disease, oxygen-induced DNA damage signaling influence on lung response to respiratory viral infection
• Pryhuber Lab - Inflammatory neonatal lung injury, biomarker discovery for identifying preterm infant respiratory disease
• Arshad Rahman Lab – Targets of acute lung injury (ALI), endothelial cell inflammation and permeability, cell specific gene therapy of mTor in ALI
• Irfan Rahman Lab – Redox signaling, tobacco smoke and e-cigarette flavoring toxicity,  cellular senescence and circadian-coupled cell signaling in lung function and inflammation
• Rich Lab - Cardiovascular, respiratory, and perinatal/reproductive health effects of exposures to environmental agents
• Rowe Lab – Environmental factors influencing respiratory tract allergic disease, Type I interferon in allergic inflammation, innate cell antiviral response

Immunotoxicology

• Anolik Lab - Role of B cells in systemic autoimmunity
• DeLouise Lab - Micro, nano and molecular level scales to design biomedical devices for drug discovery and to investigative skin immune responses
• Georas Lab - Mucosal immunology and asthma, innate and adaptive immune system roles in pathologic type 2 immune responses
• Järvinen-Seppo Lab - Mucosal immune function and the microbiome in infants in the context of food allergies
• Jusko Lab - Environmental chemical induced immune system disease outcomes (asthma, lowered vaccine response, development of autoimmunity) and susceptibility to neurodevelopmental outcomes
• Lawrence Lab - Impact of environmental agents on signaling, immune function, and cellular development; Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) signaling and hematopoietic progenitors
• Majewska Lab - Structural and functional changes underlying synaptic plasticity, microglial function, neuronal activity and tumor formation
• Pryhuber Lab - Inflammatory neonatal lung injury, biomarker discovery for identifying preterm infant respiratory disease
• Robert Lab – Developmental immunotoxicology, non-polymorphic MHC and innate T cell biology
• Rowe Lab – Environmental factors influencing respiratory tract allergic disease, Type I interferon in allergic inflammation, innate cell antiviral response
• Topham Lab - Respiratory virus immunity; immune system control of influenza, coronavirus, and other respiratory viruses

Behavioral and Neurotoxicology

• Cory-Slechta Lab – Characterization of environmental neurotoxicants, air pollutants, EDC mixtures and stressors as risk factors for behavioral diseases and disorders
• Elder Lab - Toxicology of inhaled ultrafine particles (UFPs) and engineered nanomaterials and the physiochemical, molecular and cellular basis for adverse effects in the pulmonary, cardiovascular, and central nervous systems
• Jusko Lab - Environmental chemical induced immune system disease outcomes (asthma, lowered vaccine response, development of autoimmunity) and susceptibility to neurodevelopmental outcomes
• Majewska Lab - Structural and functional changes underlying synaptic plasticity, microglial function, neuronal activity and tumor formation
• Mayer-Pröschel Lab - Impairment of neural cell functions with developmental insults, gestational iron deficiency, lead exposure and viral inflammation
• O'Banion-Olschowka Labs – Glial and vascular regulators of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration
• O’Connor Lab -  Clinical research to understand how family and relationship processes influence behavioral and biological bases of mental and physical health
• Park Lab – Gene-environment interactions on brain development, mechanisms of metal exposure toxicity in neurodevelopment, placenta derived extracellular vesicles affecting brain development
• Pröschel Lab - Astrocyte development and function under normal and pathological conditions
• Rand Lab - Developmental neuro- and neuromuscular toxicity mechanisms of environmental mercury, toxicokinetics and metabolism of methylmercury in humans
• Sarkar Lab - Gene-environment interactions in the context of Parkinson’s Disease
• Sobolewski Lab - Sex-differentiated mechanisms of neurotoxicity of endocrine active compounds (EACs), epigenetic mechanisms underlying behavioral toxicity
• vanWijngaarden Lab - Health effects of occupational and environmental exposures; effects of prenatal and postnatal mercury exposure in the Seychelle Child Development Study
• Xia Lab – Signaling mechanisms controlling synaptic plasticity in memory, learning and anxiety

Musculoskeletal Toxicology

• Calvi Lab - Therapeutic manipulation of osteoblast regulation of hematopoietic stem cell niches
• Rand Lab - Developmental neuro- and neuromuscular toxicity mechanisms of environmental mercury, kinetics and metabolism of methylmercury in humans

Reproductive & Developmental Toxicology

• Astapova Lab - Mechanisms of androgen action in the ovary, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and endocrine disrupting chemicals
• Cory-Slechta Lab – Characterization of environmental neurotoxicants, air pollutants, EDC mixtures and stressors as risk factors for behavioral diseases and disorders
• Jusko Lab - Environmental chemical induced immune system disease outcomes (asthma, lowered vaccine response, development of autoimmunity) and susceptibility to neurodevelopmental outcomes
• Lawrence Lab – Impact of environmental agents on signaling, immune function, and cellular development; Aryl hydrocarbon Receptor (AHR) signaling and hematopoietic progenitors
• Majewska Lab - Structural and functional changes underlying synaptic plasticity, microglial function, neuronal activity and tumor formation
• Murphy Lab - Mechanisms that activate or silence genes as cells transition from one state to another during development
• O'Reilly Lab - Developmental origins of lung disease, oxygen-induced DNA damage signaling influence on lung response to respiratory viral infection
• Pryhuber Lab - Inflammatory neonatal lung injury, biomarker discovery for identifying preterm infant respiratory disease
• Park Lab – Gene-environment interactions on brain development, mechanisms of metal exposure toxicity in neurodevelopment, placenta derived extracellular vesicles affecting brain development
• Rand Lab - Developmental neuro- and neuromuscular toxicity mechanisms of environmental mercury, kinetics and metabolism of methylmercury in humans
• Rich Lab - Cardiovascular, respiratory, and perinatal/reproductive health effects of exposures to environmental agents
• Sobolewski Lab - Sex-differentiated mechanisms of neurotoxicity of endocrine active compounds (EACs) and mixtures, epigenetic mechanisms underlying behavioral toxicity
• Susiarjo Lab - Underlying epigenetic mechanisms of developmental origins of health and disease; DNA methylation regulation of fetal and placental development, endocrine disruptors including bisphenol A (BPA) and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA)
• vanWijngaarden Lab - Health effects of occupational and environmental exposures; effects of prenatal and postnatal mercury exposure in the Seychelle Child Development Study

Dermal Toxicology

• DeLouise Lab - Micro, nano and molecular level scales to design biomedical devices for drug discovery and to investigate skin immune responses

Endocrine Toxicology

• Cory-Slechta Lab – Characterization of environmental neurotoxicants, air pollutants, EDC mixtures and stressors as risk factors for behavioral diseases and disorders
• Jusko Lab - Environmental chemical induced immune system disease outcomes (asthma, lowered vaccine response, development of autoimmunity) and susceptibility to neurodevelopmental outcomes
• Sobolewski Lab - Sex-differentiated mechanisms of neurotoxicity of endocrine active compounds (EACs) and mixtures, epigenetic mechanisms underlying behavioral toxicity
• Susiarjo Lab - Underlying epigenetic mechanisms of developmental origins of health and disease; DNA methylation regulation of fetal and placental development, endocrine disruptors including bisphenol A (BPA) and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA)