Bio: Dr. Jamie Lynn Wise is an assistant professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology. Using a One Environmental Health approach, Dr. Young Wise’s research integrates human, animal and ecosystem health to gain insight into how environmental contaminants. She was awarded an NIH diversity grant for her research vision that focuses on the role of metal-induced chromosome instability in liver disease pathogenesis and cancer. Studies include investigating how sex and age modulate these effects while promoting advances in risk assessment and management of environmental chemicals of major health concern. She is an author/co-author on over 120 conference abstracts, 30 peer-reviewed publications, a book chapter and has been invited to present her work locally, nationally, and internationally.

Abstract: Hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] is an environmental chemical of major public health concern. The primary source of Cr exposure for the general, non-smoking population comes from food and drinking water. In the United States, over 480,000 pounds of Cr compounds are released into surface water from domestic manufacturing and processing facilities each year playing a significant role in generating elevated levels of Cr(VI) in domestic drinking water systems. Epidemiologically, Cr(VI) drinking water exposure is associated with increased incidence of liver disease and primary liver cancer, however how Cr(VI) contributes to liver disease initiation and progression is poorly understood. Recent data show liver disease severity correlates with chromosome instability, and Cr(VI) is an established inducer of chromosome instability. Therefore, our studies are aimed at showing chromosome instability is a yet-to-be-considered driver of liver disease progression. We used an in vivo model to study the effects of Cr(VI) exposure on high-fat diet-induced liver disease. Data show Cr accumulates in the liver, alters diet-induced liver disease and induces DNA double-strand breaks, the under lesion of chromosome instability, in a sex-dependent manner. Next steps will delve deeper into understanding the underlying mechanisms including transcriptomics analysis.