Through highly integrated research, the UNC-CH SRP produces critical information for  improving the accuracy of risk assessment to reduce exposure to toxic chemicals and protect human health. The center's biomedical research focuses on three major classes of chemicals - polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), halogenated hydrocarbons, and heavy metals.

• developing biomarkers of exposure and effect for human and experimental models of environmental disease over a range of exposure levels to improve low-dose quantitative risk assessment;
  
• applying new molecular tools in a systems biology framework to understand metabolic pathways critical for environmental disease;
• predict in vivo inter-individual differences in susceptibility and risk;
  
• using advanced analytical tools to identify mechanisms of genotoxicity; and,
  
• using advanced statistical and bioinformatics methods to evaluate gene-environment interactions.

This research is supported by a grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (#P42ES005948).