Molecular Biomarkers of Toxicity from Dietary Chemicals

This research project seeks to establish a strategy to identify molecular biomarkers of toxicity to assess early changes following exposure to potential neurotoxicants.

<p>The project focuses on the use of minimally-invasive techniques to identify protein biomarkers released into body fluids.
It uses surface-enhanced laser desorption ionisation time of flight (SELDI-TOF) mass spectrometry to compare protein profiles and more conventional proteomics for protein identification.

<p>The study is considering the in vivo effects of both centrally (CNS) and peripherally acting neurotoxicants using methylmercury and acrylamide as model compounds that target principally the CNS or peripheral neurones respectively.
Data from rats treated with methylmercury or acrylamide will be compared with in vitro studies performed using cultured rat neuronal cell lines that have been treated with the same compounds as part of the validation of potential biomarkers.
These in vitro data will then be compared to data obtained using similarly treated human neuronal cell lines with the aim of establishing validated biomarkers for use with human body fluids.

<p>This project aims to develop biomarkers for assessing early changes occurring on exposure of humans to potential neurotoxicants.