The Placental Epigenome as a Driver of the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease

Dr. Fry's lab focuses on understanding how environmental exposures are associated with human disease with a particular focus on genomic and epigenomic perturbations. Using environmental toxicogenomics and systems biology approaches, the researchers aim to identify key molecular pathways that associate environmental exposure with diseases. A current focus in the lab is to study prenatal exposure to various types of metals including arsenic, cadmium, and lead.

Dr. Fry also aims to understand molecular mechanisms by which such early exposures are associated with long-term health effects in humans. For example, she examinines DNA methylation profiles in humans exposed to metals during the prenatal period. This research will enable the identification of gene and epigenetic biomarkers of metal exposure. The identified genes can serve as targets for study to unravel potential molecular bases for metal-induced disease.

Ultimately, Dr. Fry's lab aims to identify mechanisms of metal-induced disease and the basis for inter-individual disease susceptibility.