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Division:
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EC
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Status:
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Federal, NOAA Fisheries
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Phone:
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206-860-3305
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Email:
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send e-mail
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Programs:
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Teams:
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NWFSC Publications
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Background
Karen Peck-Miller is a molecular biologist and reproductive toxicologist in the Environmental Conservation Division. She joined the NWFSC in 1993 to develop the use of hepatic oncogene mutation analysis as an early indicator of environmental exposure of marine flatfish to carcinogenic compounds. Karen received a B.S. in Microbiology from Rutgers and earned a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Yale for her work on mechanisms of substrate recognition by bacterial RNA enzymes. Her postdoctoral work at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Seattle, focused on the development of tumor-specific lytic peptides as a potential cancer therapy.
Current Research
Current research interests include the potential of environmental contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals or surfactants, to act as endocrine disruptors in English sole and Pacific salmon. Specific emphasis is on exposure-related changes in the expression of a suite of estrogen-responsive genes, which may manifest as abnormalities in development, reproduction, or smoltification. Karen also provides scientific guidance on contaminant-related water and sediment quality issues as they pertain to endangered salmon and other marine and freshwater species.
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