SPECIAL 2015-16 RFP: COMMUNITY-ENGAGED ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH PROJECTS
In the fall of 2015, CEED issued a special call for proposals to link environmental research to communities affected by environmental problems. The RFP required that researchers work with CEED members affiliated with the Community Outreach and Engagement Core (COEC) and community organizations to prepare collaborative projects. Two projects were funded in December 2015.
Jason Richardson and Lauren Aleksunes, co-PIs, were awarded $1,250,000 (direct costs) by NIH/NIEHS for Gene-Environment Interactions in Neurodegeneration: Role of Efflux Transporters. (1R01-ES021800-A1, 07/01/14 – 06/30/19).
The overall objective of this proposal is to identify MDR1 as a primary efflux transporter responsible for removing pesticides from the brain and protecting against neurodegeneration. This project will provide a mechanistic insight into the associations between pesticide exposure, MDR1 genetic variation, and neurodegeneration. By studying the interaction of genetic variation, inflammation, and environmental exposure, we will likely demonstrate the convergence of multiple pathways previously implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease. This, in turn, could lead to new avenues in identifying individuals most susceptible to pesticides-induced neurotoxicity and potentially lead to therapeutic interventions to increase clearance of pesticides from the brain.
Drs. Paul Lioy and Clifford Weisel, Professors in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine of Rutgers – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, have published a new text book, Exposure Science: Basic Principles and Applications. Drs. Lioy and Weisel are both members of CEED and lead its Controlled Exposure Facility Core.
Reference: Lioy P. and Weisel C. (2014). Exposure Science: Basic Principles and Applications. Waltham, MA, Academic Press