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Computational Toxicology Seminar Series
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Next Seminar
On Wednesday, October 8, 2008, at 1:30 PM ET, the next in a series of monthly Info on Informatics seminars will feature Dr. Frank J. Gonzalez. Dr. Gonzalez will be speaking on From Xenobiotic Metabolism to Xenobiotic Metabolomics .
| When: | Wednesday, October 8, 2008, 1:30 PM |
| Location: | RTP Room C114 |
| Speaker: | Dr. Frank J. Gonzalez National Cancer Institute laboratory of Metabolism National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MD |
| Call In Line: | 1-866-299-3188 conference code is 9195411504# |
| Abstract: | Metabolomics is the study of changes in the population of small molecules or metabolomes, in cells, tissues and biological fluids such as serum and urine. Metabolomics, using 1H-NMR, has gain prominence and been embraced by the pharmaceutical industry as a means to determine the potential toxic effects of drugs. For example, a chemical is administered to rodents and urine and serum examined for the presence of metabolites that reflect organ-specific toxicities. Mass spectrometry coupled with liquid or gas chromatography, is gaining increased use for metabolomics due to lower costs and more widespread equipment availability as compared to NMR. In particular, ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC- TOFMS) yields high-resolution separation and exact mass determination of compounds in biological materials. The UPLC-TOFMS data are deconvoluted by various multivariate data analysis software such as principal components analysis (PCA) and Random Forrest to find differences between samples. To study xenobiotic metabolism and toxicity, compounds are administered to mice and serum and urine examined by PCA for the presence of the parent compound and its metabolites that are not found in untreated mice. Metabolites derived from the drug as well as endogenous metabolites that reflect the drugs biological activity or toxicity can be resolved. Metabolomics is also being used to search for biomarkers for various diseases that involve chemical insults such as cancer and metabolic diseases. This can be accomplished by use of cancer bioassays in mice and directly by studying human cancer patients and controls. These biomarkers can developed for use in early cancer detection and for determining the efficacy/toxicity of cancer therapy.
For further information, please contact David Dix, 919-541-2701 |
Background information about the STAR Environmental Bioinformatic Centers
In November 2005, EPA announced an award of $9 million to establish two cutting-edge environmental bioinformatics research centers at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ). The centers represent a major component of EPA's computational toxicology program that is using computer models to study the relationship between environmental contaminants and their potential adverse effects. The Research Center for Environmental Bioinformatics and Computational Toxicology at the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) in Piscataway brings together a team of computational scientists with diverse backgrounds in bioinformatics, chemistry, modeling, and environmental studies from UMDNJ, Rutgers, and Princeton Universities, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Toxicoinformatics. The Carolina Environmental Bioinformatics Research Center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, brings together many researchers and disciplines, combining expertise in biostatistics, computational biology, chemistry, and computer science to advance the field of computational toxicology.
In order to best interface the activities of the Environmental Bioinformatic Centers with the research being conducted within ORD, an information program is being established. Each month, one of Centers will present an overview of the activities covered under one of their major projects. These sessions will be open to all EPA staff who are interested in helping the Centers achieve their long-term objectives. While the number of interactions that can be developed are limited by available resources, it is anticipated that these forums will facilitate the development of collaborative research projects. After the initial round of informational briefing, this program will evolve into a forum for presenting advances in environmental bioinformatics that will assist ORD in supporting the mission of the EPA of protecting human health and the environment.
If you have any questions about the seminar series, please contact Richard Judson at judson.richard@epa.gov. For information on the STAR centers, please contact NCER's project officer, Deborah Segal at segal.deborah@epa.gov.
Schedule
Computational Toxicology Seminar Series
"Info on Informatics"
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