On October 17th, 2016, PROTECT researchers Dr. Rita Loch-Caruso and Dr. José Cordero each presented during the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Superfund Research Program Webinar The Interplay between Environmental Exposures and Infectious Agents: Session I – Introduction to Infectious Agents and Their Interactions with Environmental Exposures.
The webinar seminar series works “to examine the interactions between environmental exposures and infectious agents in the development of disease.” In this session, the first of the series, Dr. Loch-Caruso, Dr. Cordero, as well as other speakers in the field, provided examples of this interplay.
Dr. Loch-Caruso, PROTECT Project 2 leader, discussed toxicant-microbial interactions with regard to the infection of human extraplacental membranes. Dr. Cordero, Co-Director of PROTECT, spoke about whether exposures to environmental chemicals can have the unintentional effect of amplifying risks of Zika during pregnancy.
For more information and downloadable slides from the presentations, visit the webinar’s website. The second session of the series, Environmental Chemicals and Immune Response, will be held on October 31st from 1:00pm-3:00pm EDT.