RESEARCH

The Petriello Lab is interested in how chemical and non-chemical stressors such as diet can interact to increase the risk of inflammatory diseases. We use transdisciplinary approaches to study how persistent halogenated pollutants including PFAS and PCBs elicit toxic effects in humans.

Our research uses:

Analytical approaches to measure levels of pollutants in the blood of humans
Epidemiological approaches to associate pollutant exposures with disease risk
Mouse models to identify and validate mechanisms of toxicity

Group Funders

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Current Funding:

TMAO is a biomarker of dioxin-like pollutant exposure and cardiometabolic disease.

The primary objective is to determine if the microbiota-derived metabolite TMAO is a mechanism linking exposures to dioxin-like pollutants and cardiometabolic disease risk.

Source: NIH/NIEHS

PFAS accelerate atherosclerosis through modulation of bile acid metabolism

The goal of this project is to study mechanisms linking exposure to PFAS mixtures to increased circulating cholesterol. We will use transdisciplinary approaches and focus primarily on the role of bile acid metabolism and transport especially at the site of the intestine.

Source: NIH/NIEHS R01

Impacts of environmental chemical exposures on gut microbiota and microbiota-derived metabolites in mothers and children.

The major goal of this study is to determine if PFAS exposures during pregnancy modulate maternal gut microbiota and the trajectory of microbiota development in the offspring.

Source: NIH/ECHO Program

Center for Leadership in Environmental Awareness and Research; Superfund Research Center.

The major goal of this study is to determine if air pollution is an important determinant of maternal-offspring health, preterm birth and associated adverse health outcomes.

Source: NIH/P42 Superfund Research Program

PFAS increases susceptibility to infection-mediated Preterm Birth

The goal of this grant is to determine if maternal PFAS exposures associate with increased susceptibility to infection-mediated preterm birth. This grant focuses on placental toxicity of PFAS mixtures and utilizes mouse models and spatial transcriptomics.