Grantee Research Project Results
UNC Center for Early Life Exposures And Neurotoxicity (UNC CLEAN)
EPA Grant Number: R840219Title: UNC Center for Early Life Exposures And Neurotoxicity (UNC CLEAN)
Investigators: Engel, Stephanie M. , Fry, Rebecca , Gray, Kathleen , Keil, Alex , Li, Gang , Li, Tengfei , Lin, Weili , Lu, Kun , Rager, Julia
Current Investigators: Engel, Stephanie M. , Fry, Rebecca , Gray, Kathleen , Keil, Alex , Li, Gang , Li, Tengfei , Lin, Weili , Lu, Kun , Rager, Julia , Graves, Neasha , Starling, Anne
Institution: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Project Period: July 1, 2021 through May 8, 2025
Project Amount: $1,894,823
RFA: Center for Early Lifestage Vulnerabilities to Environmental Stressors (2020) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Children's Health , Endocrine Disruptors
Objective:
The vision of the UNC Center for Early Life Exposures And Neurotoxicity (UNC CLEAN) is to provide new knowledge on the role of early life phthalate exposures on neurobehavioral development, discover the underlying neural substrates that link phthalate exposures to developmental outcomes, and translate interdisciplinary science to community stakeholders.
Approach:
UNC CLEAN leverages a unique longitudinal study of normative brain development conducted at UNC Chapel Hill, the UNC Baby Connectome Study, in which serial structural and resting-state functional MRIs were performed between birth and age 5. At each visit, pediatric urine samples were collected, and age-appropriate developmental inventories were obtained, comprehensively assessing child neurodevelopment across a range of domains. By leveraging this unique resource, UNC CLEAN will provide novel information on the landscape of early life exposures to phthalates and untargeted exposomic features; the relationship between early life toxicant exposures and developmental inventories; and the changes in neural substrates that underlie associations between toxicant exposures and neurobehavioral measures. Our Center incorporates an experienced Translation Core that is poised to leverage more than a decade of environmental health education experience to connect UNC CLEAN investigators with childcare providers and public health professionals. The Core will facilitate action to reduce harmful environmental exposures in North Carolina childcare settings and communities by training these professionals to educate vulnerable populations and providing internships for undergraduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. UNC CLEAN key personnel include expertise in Children’s Environmental Health and environmental and neurodevelopmental epidemiology, toxicology, early brain imaging, mass spectromic methods for the quantitative characterization of small molecules, computational mixtures modeling and the use of high throughput toxicity testing for chemical prioritization, causal inference methodology, the quantitative analysis of biomedical imaging data, and community engagement and research translation.
Expected Results:
Our Center will: (1) Generate new knowledge on the role of early life toxicant exposures in neurobehavioral development and the underlying neural substrates that are affected; (2) foster interdisciplinary communication; (3) monitor quality assurance/quality control to maintain the highest level of scientific accuracy; (4) provide timely access to project data consistent with human subjects protections requirements; and (5) enhance stakeholders’ ability to factor research results into decision making about exposure.
Publications and Presentations:
Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 1 publications for this projectJournal Articles:
Journal Articles have been submitted on this project: View all 1 journal articles for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
child behavior, endocrine disruptor, plasticizer, exposome, cognition, urine, epidemiology, neuroscience, machine learning, infants, children, postnatal, perinatal, prenatal, personal care productsProgress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.