Selected Ongoing Research

Wadsworth Center’s Human Health Exposure Analysis Resource (WC-HHEAR)

NIH/NIEHS	5 U2C ES26542-03	06/01/2020 – 05/31/2024
Kurunthachalam Kannan / Patrick J. Parsons (MPI)	$4,925,991

Major Goals: The primary goal of HHEAR is to provide researchers with access to state-of-the-art, specialized analytical facilities to support accurate and timely measurements for a broad range of targeted analyses at all life stages. WC-HHEAR will lead efforts to ensure the harmonization of network data, develop new methods for exposure assessment and provide targeted analyses for the identification of organic and inorganic contaminants in human tissues and body fluids.

Monohydroxylated Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (OH-PAHs) Laboratory Testing Services for Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study (PATH)

NIH/NIDA	6410-S-04/ HHSN271201600001C	9/15/2021 – 11/30/2026
Kurunthachalam Kannan (PI)	$5,851,710

Major Goals: For this project, previously collected urine samples from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study (PATH) funded by the Health and Human Services (HHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institutes on Drug Awareness (NIDA) and stored in the PATH repository will be analyzed for four monohydroxylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OH-PAHs).

Optimizing Use of Novel Chemicals to Assess Children’s Dust Ingestion Rates

U.S. EPA		07/01/2021 – 06/30/2023
Kurunthachalam Kannan (Co-I)	$150,000

Major Goals: The goal of this project submitted to the U.S. EPA, is to measure 101 novel environmental chemicals including environmental phenols, phthalate metabolites, and alternative flame retardants, in urine and dust samples to assess the exposure and ingestion rate of dust in U.S. children.

DREAM: Discovering cancer Risks from Environmental contaminants And Maternal/child health

NIH	1 UG3 CA265845-01	09/01/2021-08/31/2027
Kurunthachalam Kannan (Co-I)	$3,499,995

Major Goals: The UCSF Discovering cancer Risks from Environmental exposures And Maternal/child health (DREAM) cohort is designed to fill current gaps in knowledge about the role of environmental exposures in cancer etiology by engaging with a diverse population of pregnant women. Through focusing on this critical, but understudied window of exposure, our study will contribute to an enhanced understanding of the relationships between multiple exposures to environmental contaminants and intermediate cancer risk biomarkers. In the long term, results can support earlier identification of risk factors, allowing for more effective prevention of environmentally mediated cancers.

TIDES III: Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals, Hormones, and Sex Specific Airway Outcomes in Adolescence

NIH	R01 ES025169-06	04/01/2022 – 03/31/2027
Kurunthachalam Kannan (Co-I)	$324,000

Major Goals: TIDES III: Endocrine Disruption, Hormones, and Sex Differences in Adolescent Airway Health will examine relationships between environmental chemical exposures, phthalates and bisphenol A, in pregnancy and early childhood and adolescent sex-specific airways outcomes via hormonal pathways.

ECHO: NYU Pediatric Obesity, Metabolism and Kidney Cohort Center

NIH	UG3OD023305-01	9/1/2016 – 8/31/2023
Kannan (Co-Investigator)	$3,200,000 (Total Costs)

Assess exposure to a suite of environmental chemicals in a multi cohort-study of children in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program to form a better understanding of early life environmental impacts on child health and development.

Preconceptual Bisphenol and Phthalate Effects on Early Embryonic Development

NIH/NIEHS	R01ES029779-01	8/1/2018 – 4/30/2024
Kannan (Consortium PI)	$2,173,844  (Total Costs)

The major goal of this study is to investigate the relationship of bisphenol and phthalate exposure, including replacement phthalates, in GenR an international longitudinal study of low birth weight and preterm birth—highly important predictors of health in later life.

Selected Completed Research

Wadsworth Center's Children's Health Exposure Assessment Resource (WC-CHEAR)

NIEHS/NIH	U2CES026542-01	10/01/2015 – 9/30/2019
Parsons, Aldous, Kannan (MPI)	$1,126,276 (Total Costs)

The principal goal of this research program is to create a network hub to provide analytical resources to support NIH funded investigators who conduct children’s environmental health studies. The WC-CHEAR will lead efforts to ensure the harmonization of network data and develop new methods for exposure assessment and will provide targeted analyses for the identification of organic and inorganic contaminants in children’s tissues and body fluids.

Exposure Analysis for the Environmental Influences on Children’s Health Outcome (ECHO) Program (Admin Supplement 1, 2 and 3)

NIEHS/NIH	U2CES026542-01	9/15/2016 – 8/31/2019
Parsons, Aldous, Kannan (MPI)	$5,710,640 (Total Costs)

The principal goal of these supplement is to build increase capacity for the “Exposure Analysis for the Environmental Influences on Children’s Health Outcome (ECHO)” program. The ECHO supplement will be used to support lab measurements of inorganic contaminants (directed by Dr. Parsons) and organic pollutants (directed by Dr. Kannan), along with contamination studies for the multi-cohort studies that will begin in 2019.

Biomonitoring of Susceptible Populations near New York State's Great Lakes: Oswego and Syracuse Areas

CDC/ATSDR	1U61TS000194	3/3/2014 – 12/2/2017
Kannan (Co-Investigator)

The goal of this project is to conduct baseline biomonitoring among two Great Lakes Basin at risk populations exposed to Great Lakes contaminants from eating fish.

Persistent Organic Pollutants and Cognitive Decline in the Elderly

NIH/NIEHS	R01ES022652	3/4/2014 – 11/30/2017
Kannan (Co-Investigator)

The major goal of this study is to determine levels of persistent organic pollutants in serum to evaluate the association between serum POP concentrations and changes in nervous system function among older adults.

Analysis of Human Biospecimens for Environmental Chemicals

NIH/NICHD	HHSN2752011000011	6/21/2011 – 9/14/2017​
Kannan (PI)

The goal is to provide analytical support for human specimens collected for NICHD’s epidemiological investigations.

Childhood Exposure to Persistent Organic Pollutants in the World Trade Center Disaster and Cardiovascular Consequences

CDC/NIOSH	1U01OH010714-01A1	7/1/2015 – 6/30/2017
Kannan (Consortium-PI)

This study builds upon a NIOSH-supported study of WTC-exposed adolescents to assess whether persistent organic pollutant exposures are potentially contributors to cardiometabolic conditions in adolescents.

Expanding NYS Public Health Laboratories Biomonitoring Programs

CDC	5U38EH000464	9/1/2009 – 8/31/2015
Kannan (Co-PI) PI)

The goal is to build capacity and expand existing capacities for statewide biomonitoring studies to assess exposures to toxicants.