Research Themes

Heavy Metals and Human Neurotoxicity

Periodic table of elements with Cadmium highlightedCadmium (Cd) serves as a model environmental neurotoxicant in our lab due to its prevalence in food, water, and occupational settings. We focus on:

      • Human-relevant exposure concentrations
      • Cellular uptake and subcellular distribution of metals
      • Links between metal burden and functional cellular outcomes

Unique strength: We directly quantify metal levels in cells and extracellular vesicles using ICP-MS, enabling mechanistic insights beyond nominal exposure doses.

Extracellular Vesicles as Mediators of Toxicity

human cells under a microsopeExtracellular vesicles are emerging as critical regulators of cell–cell communication. Our lab investigates:

      • How toxicants alter EV biogenesis and release
      • Changes in EV protein, RNA, and lipid cargo after exposure
      • Whether EVs amplify or mitigate neurotoxic signaling

We are particularly interested in ARRDC1-mediated microvesicles (ARMMs) as non-canonical EV pathways in toxicant response.

Mixture Toxicology and Real-World Exposures

Hand holding some soil with an overlay of icons showing various forms of toxic agentsHumans are exposed to chemical mixtures, not single agents. We study:

      • Heavy metal mixtures
      • Interactions between traditional contaminants such as heavy metals or pesticides with emerging contaminants like PFAS and micro/nano-plastics.

We use EVs as integrative reporters of mixture effects, providing a systems-level view of toxicity that traditional assays might miss.

CRISPR for Mechanistic Toxicology

Genetic engineering, GMO and Gene manipulation, DNA gene editing, CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing toolTo establish causality, we apply CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing to:

      • Disrupt EV biogenesis pathways
      • Modify metal transport and stress-response genes
      • Identify susceptibility factors in neural cells and drivers for mixture toxicity

This approach allows us to move beyond correlation toward mechanistic understanding.

EVs biomarkers in environmental health disease

    • Health Safety and Environment Icon Set and Web Header Banner. icons related to industrial accident prevention, workplace safety training, industrial regulations, hazard warning, protective equipment.Characterize the molecular cargo of EVs in multiple human body fluids collected from populations with documented environmental exposures
    • Identify disease- and exposure-specific EV subpopulations with enhanced biomarker specificity
    • Evaluate the utility of EV signatures for indicating neurodegenerative processes linked to environmental factors
    • Assess the potential of EV-based biomarkers for early diagnosis and informing preventive or therapeutic interventions