# Research Translation Core: Extending the Reach of Exposure Science and Technology That Improves the Detection and Remediation of Hazardous Substances

> **NIH NIH P42** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2021 · $147,963

## Abstract

Core Summary/Abstract
The UC San Diego Superfund Research Center (SRC) will investigate relationships linking obesity, nutrition,
genetics, epigenetics and environmental toxicant exposure in the etiology and progression of liver disease,
especially a non-alcoholic toxicant induced form of fatty liver disease called Toxicant-Associated Steatohepatitis
(TASH). This focus is especially significant now given how cases of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and
hepatocellular carcinoma are dramatically increasing around the world, including in California and Mexico.
Hispanic and Native Americans are especially vulnerable to this disease given their genetic susceptibility
compounded by the harsh reality that many Hispanic and Native Americans live in stressed places with high
rates of obesity, poverty, poor nutrition, health disparities and exposure to toxicants, all of which constitute
cumulative impacts that increase the risk of getting cancer, including TASH. UC San Diego’s SRC is pursuing
an innovative approach to understanding fatty liver disease and cancer. The Research Translation Core (RTC)
will collaborate with all of the SRC project/core leaders to translate their scientific knowledge, data, models and
technological innovations into forms useful for our target audiences—including the EPA, ATSDR, CDC,
Nonprofits, Biotech, County health providers, city planning organizations, Tribal Environmental Agencies, the
NIEHS and other SRCs. The RTC has access to urban and rural sites in California (San Diego and Imperial
Valley), including the Halaco Superfund site, and Mexico (Tijuana) where place-based interventions are
underway to reduce cumulative risks and health disparities impacting Hispanic and Native American
communities. Our communication strategies, partnerships with government agencies, technology transfer and
information dissemination to appropriate audiences will concentrate on toxicant induced liver disease from a
perspective of prevention and intervention. We will identify and share new models of exposure (e.g., 3D printed
liver tissue), methods of detection and diagnosis (e.g., Synthetically Evolved Receptors and Synthetically
Evolved Biosensors), novel plant technologies (enhanced phytostabilization and bioremediation potential of
plants and edible food safety) and new online cyberinfrastructure for data integration, visualization and mapping.
The RTC will facilitate joint publications among project/core leaders and extend the reach of our science
communication through social media, webinars, press releases, symposia, science cafes, geographic
information systems and bioinformatics. This multidisciplinary team research will promote knowledge and
understanding of how cumulative risks (e.g., obesity, poor nutrition, and exposure to toxicants) impact human
health; thereby helping pave the way for better detection and diagnosis, prevention and interventions that can
slow the rate of increase in toxicant induced liver disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10137940
- **Project number:** 5P42ES010337-20
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Keith Pezzoli
- **Activity code:** P42 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $147,963
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2000-07-01 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10137940

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10137940, Research Translation Core: Extending the Reach of Exposure Science and Technology That Improves the Detection and Remediation of Hazardous Substances (5P42ES010337-20). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10137940. Licensed CC0.

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