Duramad, who just completed her PhD in immunotoxicology at UC Berkeley, recently returned from a conference on environmental health in Prague, where she described a practical way to study how people's immune systems respond to environmental toxicants.
Under the direction of COEH faculty member Nina Holland, Duramad has validated a method for measuring changes in human immune response at the cellular level. Her research confirms that scientists can use T-helper cells to assess changes in the normal biological process for fighting disease in very young children as well as in adults. T-helper cells are the "captains" of the white blood cells in marshalling the immune system to fight diseases like cancer, asthma and viral infections, Duramad explained. Her focus on infants and children under the age of five is of particular importance, since studies of immune system development in normal children are rare.
In a September paper in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, Duramad, Holland, COEH faculty member Brenda Eskenazi, and others reported for the first time that:
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T-helper cells are robust and practical biological markers of immune response for both children and adults.
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Only a tiny blood sample is needed to obtain effective measurements—this is critical for pediatric studies.
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Blood samples remain viable for analysis for up to 24 hours-this is critical for samples being shipped to laboratories from the field.
"I'm excited that this approach is very practical for
studying children's immune development and that it is very relevant to
the mechanism of how diseases will develop," Duramad said.
Duramad's findings contribute to the work of Holland, Eskenazi, and COEH faculty member Patricia Buffler, who are studying environmental impacts on children's health. Eskenazi is studying the health impacts of environmental pesticide exposure among migrant farm workers and their children. Buffler is investigating the genetic and environmental influences on childhood leukemia. Holland, a geneticist and toxicologist, collaborates with Eskenazi and Buffler, both epidemiologists. The researchers are seeking answers to questions such as:
Duramad's findings contribute to the work of Holland, Eskenazi, and COEH faculty member Patricia Buffler, who are studying environmental impacts on children's health. Eskenazi is studying the health impacts of environmental pesticide exposure among migrant farm workers and their children. Buffler is investigating the genetic and environmental influences on childhood leukemia. Holland, a geneticist and toxicologist, collaborates with Eskenazi and Buffler, both epidemiologists. The researchers are seeking answers to questions such as:
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What are the T-helper profiles of children with leukemia?
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Can T-helper cells be used to predict a young child's predisposition to allergic disorders such as asthma?
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Can we use T-helper cells to learn how pesticide exposure might affect the development of asthma?
Duramad is addressing these questions in three different
ways. She has piloted the use of her methodology in the childhood leukemia
study and has applied it in over 300 samples from Eskenazi's pesticide
exposure study. To supplement these human epidemiological studies, she
is exposing T-helper cells to pesticides in vitro. While her findings
are not yet published, she said her preliminary in vitro results suggest
that pesticides have an impact on how the T-helper cells function.
Interest in the Immune System
Duramad graduated from high school at the time when the AIDS epidemic was of paramount national concern. At UC Berkeley, her interest in HIV/AIDS drew her to a major in immunology. After graduation, she went to work for the World Health Organization in Thailand, where she became more aware of the connection between environmental problems and people's health. She returned to Berkeley to work as a laboratory scientist with COEH faculty member Martyn Smith. Now, having earned an MPH in environmental health and a PhD, she plans to continue unraveling the mysteries of the immune system and to learn more about how chemicals can affect human health.
Interest in the Immune System
Duramad graduated from high school at the time when the AIDS epidemic was of paramount national concern. At UC Berkeley, her interest in HIV/AIDS drew her to a major in immunology. After graduation, she went to work for the World Health Organization in Thailand, where she became more aware of the connection between environmental problems and people's health. She returned to Berkeley to work as a laboratory scientist with COEH faculty member Martyn Smith. Now, having earned an MPH in environmental health and a PhD, she plans to continue unraveling the mysteries of the immune system and to learn more about how chemicals can affect human health.
CITATION:
Paurene Duramad, Christopher W. McMahon, Alan Hubbard, Brenda Eskenazi, and Nina T. Holland. "Flow Cytometric Detection of Intracellular Th1/Th2 Cytokines Using Whole Blood: Validation of Immunologic Biomarker for Use in Epidemiologic Studies." Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention 13, no. 9 (September 2004): 1452-1458.
Paurene Duramad, Christopher W. McMahon, Alan Hubbard, Brenda Eskenazi, and Nina T. Holland. "Flow Cytometric Detection of Intracellular Th1/Th2 Cytokines Using Whole Blood: Validation of Immunologic Biomarker for Use in Epidemiologic Studies." Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention 13, no. 9 (September 2004): 1452-1458.