Kathleen Arcaro is an assistant professor in the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, specializing in the field of environmental toxicology.  One of the goals of environmental toxicologists is to understand the relationship between exposure to toxicants and disease. Kathleen's research focuses on a heterogeneous group of environmental pollutants referred to as “endocrine disruptors.” Endocrine disruptors may mimic, block, or alter the metabolism of endogenous hormones and have been implicated in the decline of amphibian populations and the etiology of some cancers. Many pesticides, herbicides, industrial pollutants, pharmaceuticals, and household products are potential endocrine disruptors.
  The research in Dr. Arcaro's laboratory is aimed at understanding the human health effects of exposure to complex mixtures of environmental pollutants with emphasis on estrogenic and antiestrogenic pollutants. There presently are three major funded projects in the lab: 1) breast milk as a marker of exposure, effect and breast cancer risk, 2) signaling pathways in estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer and 3) bioassays for detection of endocrine disruptors in water ways.

Curriculum Vitae:
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Current Grants:
2009-12. Baystate Health Foundation. Environmental Impacts on Epigenetics: Bisphenol A and Promoter Methylation. PI: Douglas Anderton. Co-Investigator: David Reckhow.

2009-12. Baystate Health Foundation. Analysis of SKP2 and Associated Proteins in Estrogen-Receptor Negative Breast Cancers. Co-Investigators: Christopher Otis, Douglas Anderton and Katerina Fagan-Solis.

2009-11. Susan G. Komen Foundation.  Predicting Breast Cancer by Detection of Promoter Hypermethylation in Serum DNA. PI: Susan Sturgeon.

2009-10. Avon Foundation. The Presence, Prevalance and Impact of Intracellular Chlamydia in Cells from Breast Milk. Co-Investigators: Douglas Anderton and Elizabeth Stuart.

2008-10. Department of Defense. Biomarkers for Early Detection of Breast Cancer and Increased Breast Cancer Risk. Co-PI: Douglas Anderton.

2007-10. Baystate Medical Center. Gene and Protein Expression of Paralemmin in Breast Cancer. PI: Christopher Otis. Co-Investigator: Douglas Anderton.

2008-09. CHM/NSF. Nanoparticle Models and New Analytical Methods to Study the Bioavailability and Toxicity of Nanomaterials. PI. Co-Investigators: Richard Vachet, Vincent Rotello, Julian Tyson and  Douglas Anderton.

2007-09. Avon Foundation. Role of Pregnancy and Lactation in Inhibiting Age-Induced Promoter Hypermethylation. Collaborator: Douglas Anderton.

Recent Grants:
2001-06. National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences. Environmental Disruptors of Reproductive Physiology.

2000-04. National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences. Disruption of Estrogenic Responses by PCB-PAH Mixtures.

Pending Grants:
Biomarkers for Increased Risk and Early Signs of Breast Cancer in African American Women. NIH. PI. Co-PI: Douglas Anderton.

Metric-based R&D Portfolio Management in the Presence of Uncertainty. NSF. Co-investigators: Douglas Anderton, Senay Solak, Anna Nagurney and Jane Fountain.                 

Recent Publications:
"Potential of Using Breast Milk as a Tool to Study Breast Cancer and Breast Cancer Risk. Future Oncology 4(5): 595-97, 2008. With D. L. Anderton

"Perfluorinated Compounds in Human Milk from Massachusetts, U.S.A"  Environmental Science & Technology 42(8):3096-3101, 2008. With L. Tao, K. Kannan, C. M. Wong and J. L. Butenhoff.

"Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers and Organochlorine Pesticides in Human Milk from Massachusetts, USA." Journal of Environmental Monitoring 9(11):1205-12, 2007. With B. Johnson-Restrepo, R. Addink, C. Wong and K. Kannan.

"PLD1 is Overexpressed in an ER-Negative MCF-7 Cell Line Variant and a Subset of Phospho-Akt-Negative Breast Carcinomas." British Journal of Cancer 97(6):809-17, 2007. With J. M. Gozgit, B. T. Pentecost, S. A. Marconi and C.N. Otis.

"Synthetic Musk Fragrances in Human Milk from the United States." Environmental Science and Technology 41(11):3815-20, 2007. With J. L. Reiner, C. M. Wong and K. Kannan.

"Effects of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Containing Oil Mixtures on Generation of Reactive Oxygen Species and Cell Viability in MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells." Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A 70:1108-15, 2007. With B. Yilmaz, J. Ssempebwa, C. Mackerer and D. O. Carpenter.

"Use of an Aggressive MCF-7 Cell Line Variant, TMX2-28, to Study Cell Invasion in Breast Cancer." Molecular Cancer Research 4(12):905-13, 2006. With J. M. Gozgit, P. T. Pentecost, S. A. Marconi, C. N. Otis and C. Wu.

"Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Induce Estrogen Receptor-Mediated Luciferase, but Do Not Upregulate Estrogen Responsive Genes in MCF-7 Cells." Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 196:58-67, 2004. With J. M. Gozgit, K. M. Nestor, M. J. Fasco and B. T. Pentecost.

"Waste Crankcase Oil: An Environmental Contaminant with Potential to Modulate Estrogenic Responses." Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health 67:1081-94, 2004. With J. C. Ssempebwa, D. C. Carpenter, B. Yilmaz, A. P. DeCaprio and D. J. O’Hehir.

"Understanding the Human Health Effects of Chemical Mixtures." Environmental Health Perspectives 110(S1):25-42, 2002. With D. O. Carpenter and D. C. Spink.