How ocean microbes create and move contaminants in seafood
Project 2 - The marine microbiome as a source for the synthesis, transformation, and distribution of seafood contaminants
['FUNDING_P01'] · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · NIH-11373199
Researchers are looking at how ocean bacteria and algae make and change chemicals that can end up in seafood and affect people who eat it.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_P01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (LA JOLLA, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11373199 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
This project looks at ocean bacteria and algae to find natural and lingering industrial chemicals that can accumulate in seafood. Scientists will collect water, plankton, and seafood samples and run chemical and genetic tests in the lab to identify polyhalogenated compounds and the microbes that produce or transform them. They will trace how these chemicals move through marine food webs into fish and shellfish people commonly eat. The team will relate chemical findings to known health risks such as developmental and cardiovascular effects to help guide future exposure reduction efforts.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People who regularly eat seafood—especially coastal or subsistence fish consumers, pregnant people, and communities with high seafood diets—would be most relevant to the findings and potential outreach.
Not a fit: People who do not eat seafood or whose exposures come from non-seafood sources are unlikely to directly benefit from this specific work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could help identify which seafood contaminants pose the biggest health risks and inform safer eating guidance or cleanup priorities.
How similar studies have performed: Previous research has identified some marine-produced polybrominated compounds and linked them to toxic effects, but mapping microbial sources and food-web transfer at this scale is still relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
LA JOLLA, UNITED STATES
- UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO — LA JOLLA, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: ALLEN, ERIC ELLSWORTH — UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
- Study coordinator: ALLEN, ERIC ELLSWORTH
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.
Conditions: Cardiovascular Diseases