The MIT Center for Environmental Health Sciences, through support from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, has announced its support for six pilot projects, which all began Dec. 1.
Assistant Professor Patrick Doyle of chemical engineering will study "technologies to rapidly scan single genomic DNA molecules." Associate Professor Catherine Drennan of chemistry will focus on "structural studies of the AlkB family of proteins."
Assistant Professor Kimberly Hamad-Schifferli of mechanical engineering will focus her research on "antisense gene regulation with nanoparticle-DNA conjugates." Arlin Rogers, chief of the Comparative Pathology Lab in the Division of Comparative Medicine, will study the "molecular determinants of liver tumorigenesis following combined exposure to aflatoxin B1 and infectious hepatocarcinogens in a mouse model."
Assistant Professor Krystyn Van Vliet of materials science will conduct research on "in vitro platforms to assess mechanically modulated environmental exposure." Kathleen Vandiver, director of the Center for Environmental Health Sciences' community outreach and education program, will create an interactive exhibit called "The Cell Is a Molecular Machine," in a joint effort with the MIT Museum.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on December 14, 2005 (download PDF).
