Scientists & Research
Scientists
Because of their diverse training and experience, scientists of The Hamner are strong contributors to interdisciplinary research on the health effects of chemicals and other substances. Researchers hold advanced degrees in chemistry, environmental science, molecular biology, neuroscience, pharmacology, physiology, statistics, toxicology, and veterinary science.
Scientists of The Hamner have established a strong presence in the research community through publication in the peer-reviewed literature and the formal presentation of research results at scientific meetings. Hamner researchers have served in a number of scientific advisory positions for organizations representing public health concerns over the years. They have contributed to the quality of a wide variety of research publications by serving as peer reviewers and in various editorial capacities. Scientists are also involved in education in the Research Triangle area, holding adjunct faculty appointments at Duke University, North Carolina State University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Research
The overall goal of research at The Hamner is to predict and understand the outcomes of environmental exposures to chemicals and other substances on human health. To achieve this goal, The Hamner has adopted systems biology as a guiding research paradigm. The hallmark of systems biology is the seamless integration of functional genomics, computational biology, and bioinformatics to guide biomedical research and provide integrative, quantitative tools for hypothesis testing and experimental design. Research at The Hamner is concentrated in four major areas:
- Toxicological and physiological studies to assess responses of the organism and cell to chemical exposures.
- High-throughput genomics with in vivo, in vitro, and ex vivo preparations to catalog and evaluate tissue and cell responses.
- Computational analysis of biological data using simulation and bioinformatics to interpret these responses.
- Quantitative modeling of dynamic systems that predict dose-response behavior of these biological responses under realistic exposures.
The major focus of research currently underway at The Hamner is on reproductive and developmental biology and respiratory biology. In implementing a systems biology approach to health effects research, The Hamner is expanding its research capabilities in genomics technology and is developing a functional genomics program.