Faculty & Research - Molecular Toxicology
Toxicology is the study of the adverse effects of chemicals on living systems. Molecular toxicology focuses on identifying and understanding how a toxicant enters an organism and interacts with target molecules and how the organism tries to prevent or repair the injury. Such information is crucial in risk assessment, design and production of safer chemicals and drugs, and rational prevention strategies and therapy for chemical poisoning. Studies of molecular mechanisms of action of toxicants also contribute to fundamental advances in pharmacology, physiology, biochemistry, and cell and developmental biology.
Molecular toxicology research in the Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology centers around studies of biotransformation. This refers to the enzymatic and chemical processes by which foreign compounds are altered by the body. Knowledge of the structure, function, and regulation of biotransformation enzymes in different individuals, or species, is crucial for understanding the potential health risks upon exposure to foreign chemicals. Specific research projects in the department include: structure-function analysis of cholesterol or drug-metabolizing cytochromes P450; regulation of gene expression by dioxin and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; genetic polymorphisms of biotransformation enzymes; and role of the arylhydrocarbon receptor in cell signaling. A wide range of contemporary molecular and cellular strategies are using involving cDNA cloning and jeterologous enzyme expression, cell culture, and transgenic animals. Postdoctoral fellows and graduate students in toxicology are eligible for support through an NIH-funded training grant in environmental toxicology.
- Cornelis Elferink, Ph.D.
- Associate Professor
- Wayne R. Snodgrass, M.D., Ph.D.
- Professor