UA News

The Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center (SWEHSC) at The University of Arizona will receive $7.8 million from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) over the next five years to continue its research on the health effects of environmental agents.

The center serves as the principal resource for interdisciplinary research and graduate education in environmental health within the Southwest region of the United States.

The center was one of four nationwide to receive renewal funding this year from NIEHS. After submitting a 600-page renewal application and undergoing an intensive site visit, the center received a renewal score in the "outstanding" range.

SWEHSC began in 1994 with an original grant of $6.4 million. It is part of the Center for Toxicology at the UA College of Pharmacy.

"The theme that unites the research activities of our center is the need to understand the mechanisms by which exposures to environmental agents contributes to human disease," said Serrine Lau, director of the center.

The renewal funding will support an administrative core, state-of-the-art facility cores in cellular imaging, genomics, proteomics, synthetic chemistry and bioinformatics.

Current research at the center is looking at the cellular effects of chemical exposures on human health (such as arsenic), studies involving lung injury from smoke and occupational toxicants (such as jet fuel) and understanding the health-related consequences of chemical-induced changes in chromatin structure and function.

The center also conducts an extensive community outreach and education program that conveys local and common environmental health concerns and shares research results from SWEHSC investigators to the community. The program includes free summer workshops for high school students and multiple learning opportunities and resources for teachers.

Lau has been director of the center since 2003. She also is a professor at the College of Pharmacy and a member of the Arizona Cancer Center and Bio5 Institute.