MOLECULAR BIOMARKERS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICANTS

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The continuing goals and theme of this program project grant are to develop and validate molecular biomarkers reflective of exposure, dose, effect and risk from environmental toxicants and translate these biomarkers as endpoints for the design and implementation of preventive interventions in populations. Underlying tenets that are based on public health evidence support the attainability of these goals, including the recognition that sub-sets of high-risk people exist within populations who are more susceptible to disease than their fellows. Thus, biomarker-based methods capable of identifying high-risk individuals with specificity and selectivity will greatly facilitate the implementation of a spectrum of targeted preventive interventions directed towards reducing environmentally-induced disease. The structure of the program project grant for renewal during years 2008-2013 includes four projects and two cores. The projects are: PROJECT 1: Chemical and Viral Biomarkers of Exposure and Risk in Hepatocellular Carcinogenesis (Groopman); PROJECT 2: Mycotoxin Biomarkers and Children's Health in Africa (Wild); PROJECT 3: Development, Validation and Application of Biomarkers for Alkylanilines (Tannenbaum and Wogan); PROJECT 4: Biomarker-Based Evaluation of Human Interventions (Kensler); Core A: Biostatistics/Epidemiology (Munoz); and Core B: Administration (Groopman).The four projects in this renewal application are integrated by our translational research strategies. Translational research is bidirectional in that it transforms scientific discoveries from the laboratory to clinical studies ("bench to bedside") or populations ("bench to at-risk communities") and in turn uses these findings in humans to inform the advancement of laboratory studies. In each project of this grant the laboratory research involves the development of state- of- the- art techniques of bioanalytical chemistry and novel technologies for analysis of DNA mutations and biomarkers, and the populations consist of at-risk groups for environmentally induced disease. The goal of each project is to contribute to the objective of improving health through the mitigation of environmental exposures and together we are working to implement practical interventions in at-risk communities using biomarkers as the metrics of efficacy.