Untargeted Identification of Priority Environmental Chemicals and Their Physical Protein Targets

重点环境化学品及其物理蛋白质靶标的非针对性鉴定

• 批准号: RGPIN-2018-06511
• 负责人: Peng, Hui
• 金额: $ 1.75万
• 依托单位: University of Toronto
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=714264
• 关键词: Untargeted; Identification; Priority; Environmental; Chemicals

Impressive developments in environmental science over the past decades have raised the concern about the links between environmental pollution and increasing incidence of some diseases in Canada and worldwide. However, preventative assessment of the health risks of environmental chemicals leaves much to be desired since environmental matrices are incredibly complex mixtures of thousands of known and unknown chemicals. In fact, current routinely monitored chemicals only explain in an unbiased fashion, and then exploit this knowledge for improved environmental chemical management. We will support our pursuit by becoming experts in untargeted chemical analysis, and environmental chemical proteomics research. Specifically, untargeted chemical analysis methods will be developed for unbiased identification of chemicals in environmental mixtures; then these identified chemicals will be prioritized according to their persistence, bioaccumulation and toxicities; concurrently, a chemical proteomics platform will be established for proteome-wide identification of protein targets and toxic mechanisms of priority chemicals. Notably, the proposed research program will provide an unprecedented opportunity to assess the health risks of environmental chemicals in an unbiased fashion. This will strengthen current knowledge of links between environmental pollution and increasing incidence of some diseases in Canada. In addition to the societal and environmental benefits, the techniques generated from the proposed research will also lead to direct economic benefits to environmental science and the pharmaceutical industry. Importantly, the outcome of the proposed research program is more than published discoveries, it will also provide advanced training opportunities to students. Over the next five years, my group is expected to grow to approximately 7 graduate students and 2 postdoctoral fellows. Already as a new independent researcher, I have begun training of three students and two postdoctoral fellows. My early success in recruitment stems from our innovative research program, as well as students' enthusiasm to pursue their research goals, and learn technical skills (e.g. mass spectrometry, proteomics) and broader abilities (e.g. communication, leadership) that are critical to develop their future independent careers.

过去几十年来环境科学的显着发展引起了人们对环境污染与加拿大和世界范围内某些疾病发病率上升之间联系的关注。 然而，由于环境基质是数千种已知和未知化学物质的极其复杂的混合物，因此对环境化学物质健康风险的预防性评估还有很多不足之处。事实上，当前常规监测的化学品只能以公正的方式进行解释，然后利用这些知识来改进环境化学品管理。我们将通过成为非靶向化学分析和环境化学蛋白质组学研究方面的专家来支持我们的追求。具体来说，将开发非目标化学分析方法，以公正地识别环境混合物中的化学物质；然后，将根据这些已确定的化学品的持久性、生物蓄积性和毒性对其进行优先排序；同时，将建立一个化学蛋白质组学平台，用于全蛋白质组鉴定蛋白质靶标和重点化学品的毒性机制。 值得注意的是，拟议的研究计划将为以公正的方式评估环境化学品的健康风险提供前所未有的机会。这将加强目前对加拿大环境污染与某些疾病发病率上升之间联系的认识。 除了社会和环境效益外，拟议研究产生的技术还将为环境科学和制药行业带来直接的经济效益。 重要的是，拟议的研究计划的成果不仅仅是已发表的发现，它还将为学生提供高级培训机会。 未来五年，我的团队预计将增长到大约 7 名研究生和 2 名博士后。作为一名新的独立研究员，我已经开始培训三名学生和两名博士后研究员。我在招聘中的早期成功源于我们的创新研究计划，以及学生追求研究目标的热情，以及学习技术技能（例如质谱、蛋白质组学）和更广泛的能力（例如沟通、领导力），这些对于发展他们未来的独立职业至关重要。