Early-life exposure to replacement plastic chemicals and liver health
Early Life Exposure to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals: Epigenomic and Transcriptomic Networks and RAGE in Liver Disease
This project looks at whether early-life exposure to replacement plastic chemicals (BPS, BPF, and DINP) changes immune and liver cell programming and increases the risk of fatty liver disease in children and adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Beckman Research Institute/city of Hope NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Duarte, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11309100 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
The team will examine how exposures during pregnancy and early life to BPS, BPF, and DINP might activate RAGE signaling, reprogram peripheral immune cells, and alter gene regulation in the liver. They will combine animal models (zebrafish and mice), laboratory experiments on immune and liver cells, and analysis of human blood and tissue samples to trace molecular and epigenetic changes. The researchers focus on realistic chemical mixtures rather than single chemicals to mirror real-world exposures. The goal is to map transcriptomic and epigenomic networks that link early exposures to later non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants would include children, adolescents, and adults with or without NAFLD who can provide blood samples, medical history, or liver tissue samples for molecular analysis.
Not a fit: People seeking immediate clinical treatment for active liver disease or whose liver disease is clearly caused by viral, genetic, or other non-chemical factors are unlikely to receive direct clinical benefit from this research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal mechanisms by which common early-life chemical exposures raise NAFLD risk and suggest targets for prevention or future therapies.
How similar studies have performed: Previous animal studies and some human biomarker data link BPA and certain phthalates to fatty liver and metabolic changes, but work specifically on BPS/BPF/DINP mixtures and the RAGE/epigenetic mechanisms is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Duarte, United States
- Beckman Research Institute/city of Hope — Duarte, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Trevino, Lindsey Starr — Beckman Research Institute/city of Hope
- Study coordinator: Trevino, Lindsey Starr
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.