DOES EXPOSURE OF HUMAN CELLS TO EM FIELDS CAUSE CANCER

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This research will investigate the proposed link between exposure of cells to extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic (EM) fields and malignancy. We will determine if characteristics of neoplastic transformation and/or immortalization occur in human cells exposed to characterized ELF EM fields at 60 Hz. Aim 1. To determine if the expression of cellular proto-oncogenes is altered in human cells exposed to ELF EM fields by measurement of levels of mRNA transcripts and resulting proteins. Short exposures to defined ELF EM fields will be used initially; further experiments will determine how the time course or other parameters of exposure affect mRNA levels. Aim 2. To determine if cell divisional rates are changed by EM field exposure. Aim 3. To investigate the role of signal transduction in cell response to ELF EM fields; can a relation with signal transduction be made. as predicted on the basis of previous studies? Our major aim is to obtain adequate background information to ultimately allow us to experimentally test whether ELF EM field exposure can play a role in initiating, or augmenting neoplastic disease. The ramifications of this research, however, have bearing on the general safety of exposure to EM fields in industrial and everyday life.