Photo by Marsha Miller.
Pharmacology and Toxicology Professor Andrea C. Gore, Ph.D. recently received an impressive five-year RO1 grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes for Health (NIH), for research to determine how PCBs cause dysfunctions in reproductive physiology and behavior.
Polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, affect the nervous and endocrine systems of individuals exposed during early life, an effect that can manifest across multiple generations. All humans come into contact with hundreds of environmental chemicals. Among these, PCBs are widespread due to industrial contamination, and are detectable in nearly all humans. Dr. Gore’s project seeks to determine how PCBs cause dysfunctions in reproductive physiology and behavior, using a female rat model. Her lab will test the hypothesis that PCBs “reprogram” genes in developing germ cells–the precursors to eggs in the ovary–leading to the adverse reproductive outcomes in exposed individuals, and their offspring.
The College of Pharmacy will continually follow Dr. Gore’s research and provide updates as to its findings.