Grants and Contracts Details
Description
The University of Kentucky, being a land grant and comprehensive institution, has a tradition of excellence in
interdisciplinary research. Such an academic environment will allow to study the overall theme of our SBRP
research, which focuses on the toxicology of Superfund chemicals and how health effects of exposure can
be modulated by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors, namely genetics and nutrition, respectively. We will
integrate five biomedical and two non-biomedical projects to concentrate on chlorinated organics (e.g.,
polychlorinated biphenyls, trichloroethylene) as model toxins. Chlorinated organics are prevalent in most
Superfund sites, including those found in Kentucky. Our preliminary findings suggest that nutrition and
dietary habits can markedly influence mechanisms of toxicity of the above-mentioned Superfund chemicals.
Thus, a major objective of our SBRP is to explore the paradigm that nutrition can modify Superfund chemical
toxicity. We hypothesize that highly refined diets, Le., diets high in fats or calories and low in fruits and
vegetables (antioxidants), are associated with an observed national epidemic in chronic diseases, and that
populations associated with such dietary habits are more prone to Superfund chemical insult. Biomedical
projects will focus on chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, hypertension, and
diabetes. In addition, non-biomedical projects will explore novel techniques for both remediation
(detoxification) and biosensors associated with PCBs and other chlorinated organics. Results from our
interdisciplinary research will be utilized for informative/educational, technology transfer, training, policy and
translational purposes as part of the objectives of the Research Translation, Community Outreach, and
Training Cores. Nutrition may be the most sensible means to develop primary prevention strategies of
diseases associated with many environmental toxic insults. Thus, our research may lead to novel dietary
recommendations at the national level for populations at risk, Le., people residing near Superfund sites.
Status | Finished |
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Effective start/end date | 4/7/97 → 3/31/06 |
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