Webinar title: Imaging Analysis and Novel Target Identification of Environmental Pollutants and Endogenous Metabolic Molecules
Speaker: Yi Wan
Webinar Time: April 27, 2024 (Saturday) 14:30
Venue: Room 231, New Environmental Building
Inviter: Yitao Pan, Jiayin Dai
Abstract:
Recently, increasing research indicates that exposure to environmental pollutants can disrupt the metabolic balance of endogenous small molecules, triggering various toxic effects such as endocrine disruption, lipid metabolism abnormalities, and energy metabolism imbalance. The interaction between environmental pollutants and endogenous biological molecules constitutes a crucial step in their toxicity. However, due to the diverse types, structural complexity, and intricate mechanisms of action of both exogenous and endogenous molecules, correlating pollutant exposure with affected metabolic pathways directly and identifying key target sites responsible for metabolic disruption induced by pollutant exposure has become a focal point in environmental toxicology research. Unlike genes and proteins, endogenous small molecules involved in biological metabolism are positioned at the terminal end of biological functional regulation and can indicate the toxic effects of long-term cumulative exposure to environmental pollutants. Our focus lies in elucidating the interaction between environmental pollutants and endogenous metabolic molecules. To this end, we have developed high-throughput and high-sensitivity analytical scanning techniques for environmental pollutant analysis, as well as established high-throughput and high-sensitivity analytical and network analysis methods for endogenous metabolic molecules. Through imaging analysis and spatial co-localization of both types of molecules, we aim to identify the target sites of pollutant action. Additionally, by employing protein-affinity-guided identification, we aim to identify active molecules in the environment. Ultimately, our goal is to deeply analyze the toxic mechanisms and health effects of toxic substances, thereby providing a technical foundation and material control list for environmental toxicology and chemistry research.
About the speaker:
Dr. Yi Wan is a Boya Distinguished Professor in the College of Urban and Environmental Sciences at Peking University, specializing in the environmental behavior and toxicological effects of trace toxic and hazardous pollutants. His research interests encompass high-throughput scanning analysis techniques for pollutants and biological small molecules, pollutant bioaccumulation and metabolic toxicity processes, and the health effects of pollutant-induced metabolic disruptions. With over a hundred outstanding publications in prestigious SCI academic journals such as PNAS, Environmental Science & Technology, and Analytical Chemistry, Dr. Wan has received grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, including the National Natural Science Funds for Distinguished Young Scholar and Outstanding Youth Scholar. He has also been appointed as a "Young Yangtze River Scholar" and recognized as a young top-notch talent in the "Ten Thousand Talents Project" by the Ministry of Education. Furthermore, Dr. Wan was honored with the Second Prize of the National Natural Science Award as the second contributor.