Welcome to the website of the University of Michigan NIEHS P30 Core Center!
This Center is a new entity that brings together basic and translational scientists into a partnership focused on the theme of "Lifestage Exposures and Adult Disease". Our mission is to promote translational research using novel multi-disciplinary approaches to understand the impact of environmental exposures on adult chronic disease through mechanisms involving epigenetic modifications during vulnerable stages of life.
Our base of research includes projects addressing a variety of environmental toxicants, a large portfolio of cohort studies (and associated biorepositories) spanning the age spectrum, disease-specific research Centers (and associated tissue banks), and basic research on epigenetic mechanisms. Our Center's 3 Research Teams focus on "Epigenetic Regulation", "Oxidative Stress" and "Endocrine Disruptors", subthemes that build off of Center strengths. We also have an initial emphasis on four diseases well-represented in our current research portfolio (asthma, prematurity, metabolic syndrome, and neurodegenerative disease), with the flexibility and intention to expand our diseases of interest as the Center grows and matures.
The Center sponsors seminars; a pilot project program; outstanding young Center scientists; and outreach and education to the broader scientific and lay community. Our research is supported by an Administrative Core and five Facility Cores related to Exposures, Biological Responses, Integrated Health Sciences, Environmental Statistics and Bioinformatics.
The Integrated Health Sciences Core manages a web-based portal providing an innovative interactive kiosk for obtaining critical information on our resources, Core facilities, and tools for research. The faculty of this Core also provide "translational services", i.e., consulting on the design of translational research and use of our biorepositories and Core facilities.
Our Community Outreach and Education Core works with our investigators and a Stakeholder Advisory Board to engage in a wide range of activities designed to translate our findings into knowledge and action that enhance health in the community.
Administration of the Center is facilitated by an active Executive Committee and outstanding scientists serving on our External Advisory Committee.
Overall, our Center's work promises to improve our understanding of (a) the contribution of environmental exposures towards the etiology of multiple adult chronic diseases; (b) lifestage(s) of vulnerability to such exposure effects; (c) and the role of epigenetic and other mechanisms in such effects. These insights, in turn, will create major new opportunities for preventing and treating the same adult chronic disease.
We greatly look forward to engaging the UM community in this new endeavor and welcome your participation and comments!
Rita Loch-Caruso, Ph.D. Bruce Richardson, M.D.
Center Director Center Deputy Director
