METALS Project Summaries
Project 1 (BioProject Community, BPComm)
Biomarkers and mechanisms of metal and mixed metal exposures
Investigators:
Laurie G. Hudson, PhD; Debra MacKenzie, PhD; Esther Erdei, PhD; David Begay, PhD; Erica Dashner-Titus, PhD
Purpose:
Exposure to environmental metals has the potential to induce cellular changes that can contribute to autoimmune and inflammatory diseases like diabetes, cancer, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease. Aims of this project are to 1) Identify biological consequences of exposures to environmental metals that contribute to health outcomes, 2) expand knowledge of the impact of exposure to metals and metal mixtures on human immune function, and 3) identify mechanism-based interventions to mitigate toxicities. The overarching goal of the research is to inform and develop interventional strategies that minimize the health risks arising from ongoing environmental exposures to toxic metals and metalloids within our partner communities.
Project 2 (Environmental Science and Engineering Project Particulate Matter, ESE PM)
Transport and Bioavailability of U and co-occurring metals in particulate matter from agricultural tribal lands affected by mining legacy.
Investigators:
Adrian Brearley, PhD; Eliane El Hayek, PhD; Jose Cerrato, PhD
Purpose:
The focus of this project is on the risks of exposure to metals from windblown dusts contaminated by nearby uranium mine wastes on tribal lands in the Southwest. Previously unrecognized uranium-bearing nanoparticles are present in a range of materials associated with these abandoned uranium mines (AUMs). This project focuses on potential health effects from exposure to windblown, respirable, metals-bearing particulates, and whether agricultural crops grown adjacent to AUMs could represent a potential exposure pathway that is detrimental to human health. The results from this project will establish the extent to which the complex metal mixtures in airborne particle pollution released from abandoned uranium mine sites pose a health hazard and will more accurately address risk reduction strategies for the vulnerable populations who live in close proximity to AUMs.
Project 3 (BioProject Gut )
Mechanisms of Modulation of Gut Immunity by Ingested Uranium and Mixed Metal Exposures
Investigators:
Eliseo F. Castillo, PhD; Julie G. In, PhD,
Purpose:
The researchers for BP Gut are experts in gut biology and immunology and intend to determine how the environmental metals affect three aspects of the gut—namely the microbiota (microorganisms living in our gut), the immune system, and lining of the intestines. Dysfunction in one of these components can have profound effects on the other two systems as well as systemic health. Additionally, the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is readily exposed to metals through contaminated food and water sources. This project will utilize animal models and human intestinal tissue cultures to decipher how gut exposures to environmental pollutants disrupts GI health. This work will provide critical mechanistic insights into the potential immunotoxicity of uranium (U) and arsenic (As) in gut physiology and diseases.
Project 4 (BioProject Lung)
Inhaled Mine-Site Derived Metal Particulate Matter Drives Pulmonary and Systemic Immune Dysregulation
Investigators:
Alicia Bolt, PhD; Sarah Blossom, PhD; Katherine Zychowski, PhD
Purpose:
The BP Lung research team hypothesizes that mine site dust containing metal particles drives lung and immune abnormality and autoimmunity (failure of the body's immune system to recognize its own cells and tissues) through the hyperactivation of white blood cells—the cells that protect the body against foreign invaders. Using cell and mouse models, as well as health studies in exposed populations, the research team is investigating the role of activated white blood cells in the development of lung and immune dysregulation following mine site dust exposure. Information gained from this project will provide new insight into the potential risks associated with exposure to inhaled airborne metals and their role in immune function and disease.
Project 5 (Environmental Science and Engineering Project Remediation, ESE Remed)
Bioremediation by Integrating Plant-Fungi Symbiosis and Natural Minerals for Uptake of Metal mixtures
Investigators:
Anjali Mulchandani, PhD; Jennifer Rudgers, PhD; Eliane El Hayek, PhD; Jose Cerrato, PhD
Purpose:
This project will investigate new technologies for bioremediation (usage of living organisms to remove contaminants) by utilizing plant-fungal interactions to immobilize metal mixtures through mineral absorption and precipitation. Fungi obtained from sites located in the partner communities will be used in experiments to identify relevant temperature stress gradients, water chemistry, and other environmental conditions in the Southwestern US influencing the uptake of metal mixtures by plant-fungi interrelationships. In addition, researchers will evaluate the role that naturally abundant minerals such as calcium react with phosphate to immobilize toxic metals in contaminated waters and soils.
