Overview
Environmental pollutants are a constant threat for human development, health, and the environment itself. The understanding of which pollutants are causing the most harm, and how they are harmful, is a constant effort for developmental and environmental toxicologists. My goal as a computational scientist is to aid in the discovery of toxicant induced effects during embryonic development by developing mathematical and computational tools.
I work closely with Dr. Karilyn Sant of the School of Public Health at San Diego State University who studies common water pollutants and toxicants using the zebrafish model. It is through experimentation we are able to validate the mathematical and computational tools I develop. The close collaboration between Dr. Sant, Dr. Uduak George (SDSU, Department of Mathematics and Statistics), and myself has led to successful and rewarding interdisciplinary research projects.
Current Projects
Complex Network Models for TCPMOH Induced Developmental Deformities
Tris(4cholophenyl)methanol (TCPMOH) is a recently discovered environmental water contaminant with an unknown origin. Although novel, it is highly persistent in the environment, bioaccumulates in marine species, and has been found in human breast milk. The increase in findings of TCPMOH in the environment and human samples poses itself as a possible threat to human development. My primary goal is to describe the effects of TCPMOH during development using the zebrafish model (Danio rerio) and mathematical modeling. Using microscopy, we have captured developmental timepoints to determine deformities in the zebrafish. A complex network model has been developed to analyze the association between deformities and mortality within and between experimental groups. With new environmental contaminants continually being discovered, the network model developed may be applied to determine the morphological damage any new toxicant may have.
Mathematical Models for Nutrient Absorption and Fish Growth
Optimal embryonic development plays a major role in the health of an individual beyond the developmental stage. Nutritional perturbation during development is associated with cardiovascular and metabolic disease later in life. With both nutritional uptake and overall growth being risk factors for eventual health, it is necessary to understand not only the behavior of the processes during development but also their interactions. I have developed ordinary and delay differential equation models to quantify the rate of yolk absorption and its effect on early development of a vertebrate model (Danio rerio). The model has been extended from a control space to a toxicant space to analyze the effects of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS).