Next generation of toxicologists is ready for battle

Toxicology researchers – a subfield under environmental and occupational health – help identify potentially harmful substances in the environment, food, consumer products, and workplace that could cause adverse health outcomes like cancer. Many of these toxic substances not only pose risks to human health but also have detrimental effects on ecosystems and wildlife. The critical information and knowledge generated by these researchers can be used by regulatory agencies, government entities, and other positions of power to put programs and policies in place to safeguard communities and protect our environment.

The Society of Toxicology (SOT) convenes scientists from academic institutions, government, and industry from around the globe at their annual conference to help create a safer and healthier world. At this year’s conference, UC Irvine Public Health’s researchers brought home several awards for their research and achievements.

From adverse lung effects due to inhalation of metals and secondhand e-cigarette aerosol exposure to the impact of heat stress on liver function, UCI researchers are conducting groundbreaking research exposing emerging threats to our community and revealing evidence that can help change the world. The impact of their work is evident in the numerous awards and accepted poster presentations at SOT.

The following UCI Public Health doctoral students and career researchers representing faculty labs of Drs. Andrea De Vizcaya Ruiz, Michael Kleinman, Ulrike Luderer, Nicole Sparks, and Saurabh Chatterjee presented and/or received awards at the 2024 SOT Meeting. Notably, the Chatterjee Lab students snagged a total of nine awards in 2024, which follows last year’s successful showing at the same conference.

“Receiving the award for the best graduate student abstract is truly an honor,” said Ayushi Trivedi, a second-year doctoral student in the Chatterjee Lab. “The recognition of my work inspires me to continue to unveil new avenues for therapeutic intervention and agents, offering hope to veterans who grapple with the long-term effects of their time in service.”

Poster Presentations:

Jayveertiz Bautista (De Vizcaya Ruiz & Kleinman Lab)

Pulmonary Effects of Inhaled Metals from Secondhand E-Cigarette Aerosol Exposure

Dipro Bose (Chatterjee Lab)

Germ-Free mice exhibit attenuated gut-brain axis linked neuroinflammation in Gulf War Illness chemical toxicity
Long-term antibiotic Use in Preclinical Gulf War Illness Model Shows Barrier Integrity Loss-Linked Liver Inflammation and Hepatic Metabolic Reprogramming

Madhura More (Chatterjee Lab)

Climate Change stressor-linked Vibrio infections are critical to tubular toxicity and Chronic Renal Disease in Obesity

Kathleen Leon Parada (Luderer Lab)

Germ Cell Depletion and Localization of pSMAD2 in the Fetal Mouse Ovary After PrenatalBenzo[a] pyrene Exposure

Subhajit Roy (Chatterjee Lab)

Periodic Heat Waves-induced neuronal etiology in the elderly is mediated by Gut-Liver-Brain axis: A Transcriptomic Profiling Approach

Punnag Saha (Chatterjee Lab)

Gut Microbiome Species Alteration and Resulting Endotoxemia Links Cylindrosperopsin-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Underlying Obesity

Ayushi Trivedi (Chatterjee Lab)

Host bacterial metabolite spermidine attenuates persistent gastrointestinal toxicity in Gulf War Illness via HMGB1- AhR/NRF-2/HO-1 signaling pathway

Russell Morales, PhD (De Vizcaya Ruiz & Kleinman Lab)

Effect of Different Size Fractions of Semi-Metallic and Ceramic Brake Dust Particles on Epithelial Lung cells at the Air-Liquid Interface

David Herman, PhD (De Vizcaya Ruiz & Kleinman Lab)

Brake-Dustosis: Effects of Brake Dust Exposure on the Murine Pulmonary System following Tracheal Instillation

Awards:

Dipro Bose (Chatterjee Lab)

Neurotoxicology Specialty Section Toshio Narahashi Trainee Conference Endowment Award
Mechanisms Specialty Section Ronald G. Thurman Student Travel Award
SOT Graduate Student Travel Award