News & Events

• CEG News at a Glance, 2023 January (PDF)
• CEG News at a Glance, 2022 December (PDF)

Save the Date! Our Integrative Health Sciences Facilities & Bioinformatics Cores will host Devin C. Koestler, Ph.D., Director of the Quantitative ‘Omics Core, Kansas Institute of Precision Medicine, for a 12:00 PM Thursday February 9 panel workshop on strategies for analyzing DNA methylation data in epidemiological studies using high-throughput profiling techniques. Kettering Kehoe Auditorium and online (more details to come).

Save the Date! On Wednesday March 22, 2023, the CEG will host a seminar with Lauren M. Petrick, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Petrick serves as Head of the Untargeted and Targeted Metabolomics at the Lautenberg Laboratory, The Institute for Exposomic Research. Dr. Petrick is an analytical chemist with advanced training in metabolomics/exposomics. Her research interests are in developing exposomics methodologies for environmental health research using high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and advanced biostatistics/bioinformatics techniques. In addition to performing routine urine, plasma, and serum analysis, her work focuses on the development of untargeted methods for matrices such as archived neonatal dried blood spots that allow investigators to “go back in time” to measure early life exposures. Working with prospective samples, her work can establish whether metabolomic/ exposomic signatures exist around the time of birth that predict later life development of disease, including cancers. Seminar 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM Wednesday March 22, 2023, in the Kehoe Auditorium, Kettering Laboratory Building.

We look forward to soon posting the audiovisual recording of the Workshop on Single-Cell RNA Sequencing hosted by the CEG Integrative Technologies Support (ITS) Core on Friday January 20, 2023. Expert presenters and topics included

• Mario Medvedovic, PhD, Director of the UC Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics and leader of the CEG Bioinformatics Core, who spoke on Analyzing and learning from scRNA-seq data.  
• Chia-I Ko, PhD, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Division of Environmental Genetics & Molecular Toxicology, and 2022 CEG Time-Sensitive Response (TSR) award recipient. Dr. Ko discussed Identification of AHR function in preimplantation embryonic differentiation by single-cell RNA sequencing.
• Rathnakumar Kumaragurubaran, PhD, Assistant Professor, Pediatrics & Developmental Biology, and Director, scRNA-seq Core, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC).  Dr. Kumaragurubaran provided an Overview of the CCHMC Single Cell Genomics Core and its services.

Stay tuned! Web link will be posted here.

Integrative Technologies Support (ITS) Core Funding Available: CEG members are eligible for ITS Subsidies (i.e., matching funds) for use of certain cores and services, including Bioinformatics support. PIs with currently funded CEG Pilot awards may receive pro bono Bioinformatics support for the CEG-funded project.  ITS subsidies (matching funds) must be requested before services are obtained.  Details and an application form can be obtained on the  ITS Core Web page. 

The Genomics and Epigenomics Sequencing Core (GESC) has introduced its new NextSeq 2000 and, as Core manager Xiang Zhang, PhD, reports, is offering a reduced rate.  The new reduced rate will be automatically applied to samples submitted after November 1. Looking forward, PE 2x300 bp sequencing is expected to be available early next year, which can be used for 16S metagenomic sequencing.  Dr. Zhang and the Core have an online form for requesting services: https://med.uc.edu/depart/eh/cores/genomics/services-and-form. CEG investigators who use GESC services should self-identify as CEG members, in order to enhance Center reporting of research productivity. CEG members also should indicate on the form whether they would additionally like their data to be transferred to the CEG Bioinformatics Core (Director: Mario Medvedovic, PhD). The Bioinformatics Core offers long-term data storage, as well as options for highly sophisticated data analysis.

Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals Research Focus Group meets on the 2^nd Thursday of each month. All are welcome.  For details please contact Katherine Burns, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences. For details about the CEG's ImmunoToxicology Forum contact Jagjit Yadav, PhD. 

Meet our latest New Investigator Awardee (NIA 2022 - 2024) Nalinikanth Kotagiri, Ph.D., MBBS, Assistant Professor, UC College of Pharmacy. Dr. Nalinikanth's research interests are primarily in therapeutic agents, but recently Dr. Kotagiri was awarded a $484,000 DoD grant to protect skin from ultraviolet light: MRP Idea Award: “Engineering skin microbiome to generate natural sunscreens for prevention of melanoma” (Role PI. 7/1/21 – 6/30/24). CEG Associate member. Mentor: Zalfa Abdel-Malek, PhD.

On a biennial basis, the Center for Environmental Genetics may recognize up to three New Investigator Awardees (NIA’s) for a 2-year term. These are promising junior tenure-track faculty members with demonstrated interest in environmental health science. NIA’s receive $25,000 in salary support and associated benefits each year, contingent on 1st year performance.  Applications for New Investigator Awards must include a nomination letter from the proposed mentor, copies of the applicant’s and mentor’s CVs, and a personal statement by the applicant specifying his or her plans for environmental health research over the 2-years of CEG funding. The statement should include planned NIEHS grant submissions. 

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The Application Submission System & Interface for Submission Tracking (ASSIST) system is used to submit applications electronically to NIEHS and other NIH agencies. It is also used to ensure PIs' compliance with timely reporting of Human Subjects Study inclusion enrollment data, etc. Delays and errors in Human Subjects reporting via ASSIST can jeopardize individual and Center funding; hence, this guidance on Navigating ASSIST for Human Subjects and Clinical Trials, is important for PIs and their staff: PPT slides accessible here (PDF). Webinar recording accessible here (mp4 file). A copy of the required Human Subjects questionnaire for preparing reports to ASSIST may be downloaded here: PHS Human Subjects & Clinical Trials Information (fillable PDF).