CORE CENTER
Toxicology has long been a focus of research at Vanderbilt University, both in the School of Medicine and in the College of Arts and Science. The Environmental Health Sciences Core Center in Molecular Toxicology is an interdepartmental program that has been funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences continuously since 1967. The Core Center provides an environment for research efforts in molecular aspects of toxicology by Center Investigators and affiliated researchers in the departments of Biochemistry, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Medicine, Pathology, Pediatrics, and Pharmacology.
The Core Center is structured to focus resources in particular areas, or components called cores. Supported components include four facility cores, a pilot project core, and an administrative core that coordinates all center activities. The Core Center also functions to foster collaboration through seminar programs, symposia, and affiliated training programs. Overall Core Center goals include 1) understanding phenomena related to toxic effects of environmental agents at the chemical level, 2) understanding toxic effects of compounds at the biochemical level, and 3) applying chemical and biochemical knowledge to situations involving humans. Core Center efforts will ultimately contribute to an increased understanding of disease mechanisms and the development of preventative measures for human diseases resulting from environmental stresses.
The Center Investigators who form the Core Center in Molecular Toxicology are selected carefully by the Center Director and the Steering Committee, with input from the External Advisory Board. They derive benefits from the Core Center, in terms of their research programs and are charged with the responsibility of advancing environmental health research at Vanderbilt. Faculty members have international reputations in their fields and are heavily engaged in collaborations with many other scientists. They are involved in a wide spectrum of research efforts covering the chemical and biological aspects of molecular toxicology. Current center research interests include Oxidative Damage, DNA Damage and Genetic Instability, Maintenance of Genomic Integrity, Enzymatic Biotransformation and Reactions of Electrophiles, and Neurotoxicity.
The Core Center also supports Facility Cores in Mass Spectrometry, Proteomics, Structural Biology, and Integrative Health Sciences. Centralized facilities available include NMR spectrometry (200, 300, 400, 500, 600, and 800 MHz instruments), mass spectrometry (36 instruments with capability for on-line liquid and gas chromatography, ion-trap, electrospray and matrix-assisted laser desorption/time-of-flight, high resolution, and tandem sector work), proteomics, human tissue banks for biochemical studies, and clinical research including assay development and isoprostane analysis.
All Core Center activities are managed by an administrative core, which consists of the Center Director (Prof. F. P. Guengerich), the Co-Deputy Directors (Profs. R. F. Burk and C. J. Rizzo), the Center Manager (K. E. Mashburn), an internal Steering Committee, and an External Advisory Board. These two committees provide guidance and assist with major decisions that affect Core Center organization and scientific direction.
Steering Committee
- Dr. F. Peter Guengerich, Center Director
- Dr. Raymond F. Burk, Co-Deputy Director
- Dr. Carmelo J. Rizzo, Co-Deputy Director
- Dr. Daniel C. Liebler
- Dr. Lawrence J. Marnett
External Advisory Board
- Dr. Marion W. Anders, University of Rochester
- Dr. Brooke T. Mossman, University of Vermont
- Dr. Paul R. Ortiz de Montellano, University of California, San Francisco
- Dr. Paul Watkins, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
- Dr. Gerald N. Wogan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIH grants P30 ES000267 and T32 ES007028)