A new grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will help Wayne State University researchers explore potential connections between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure and adverse effects on male reproductive health.
The two-year, $95,178 grant, "Uncovering the molecular signature of PFAS mixtures on preconception male reproductive health," is funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the NIH.
What we're doing now is bringing to light that a lot of reproductive challenges aren't just a maternal problem, but that what men are exposed to and what state their bodies are in can have an enormous impact on the overall health of their children as well."
DruAnne Maxwell, Ph.D. student at Wayne State and study's principal investigator
Richard Pilsner, Ph.D., M.P.H., professor of molecular obstetrics and gynecology and the Robert J. Sokol, M.D. endowed chair of molecular obstetrics and gynecology at Wayne State's School of Medicine, serves as primary sponsor. Michael Petriello, Ph.D., assistant professor of environmental health sciences in the Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and of pharmacology in the School of Medicine, serves as co-sponsor on the project.
"What is nice about this award is that it allows us to see the growth of this research project," said Pilsner. "It stems from the CURES Pilot Grant P30 Program here at Wayne State University. We obtained some exciting results and now DruAnne, who runs the day-to-day research for this study, has received this coveted training grant and is moving the research forward."
This proposal seeks to further reproductive health research and better understand the mechanisms by which PFAS influences spermatogenesis, sperm epigenetics and epididymosomes.
"We're trying to show that men have to have an environmental responsibility prior to conceiving a child, at least for three months prior to conception," said Pilsner. "Our research shows that PFAS exposure can impact offspring phenotype and sperm epigenetics."
"Since we know these chemicals are out there and that we can't completely get rid of them, I hope that we bring awareness to this issue and encourage people to make better decisions about how we are exposed to them; different regulations, using glass food storage instead of plastic ones, and so forth," said Maxwell.
"F31 grants from the National Institutes of Health are important tools for supporting our next generation of scientists," said Ezemenari M. Obasi, Ph.D., vice president for research & innovation at Wayne State. "I look forward to the important research outcomes that this research team will discover."
The award number for this grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health is F31ES036425.
Glycan mapping reveals what keeps the vaginal microbiome healthy