Main Body
Science Overview
Science in the pursuit of health assumes many forms at Wadsworth Center, grant-supported research, outbreak investigations, and development of novel methods among them. As science evolves and technology advances, focal points will shift. Currently, four themes dominate:
- Genes and Genomes
The availability of the human genome sequence is the driving force of 21st century genetic research and molecular medicine. More...
- Molecular & Cellular Basis of Disease
Genes contained in the cell's DNA code for large molecules -- proteins and RNAs -- that do everything from regulating cell growth and division to maintaining cellular energy. More...
- Environmental Health Science
Scientific and technological advances of the last century allowed for the detection of minute quantities of contaminants in complex environmental samples, such as soil, water and air. More...
- Infectious Disease & Host Defense
Public health and basic research programs converge on infectious agents, with Wadsworth scientists seeking to improve detection of disease-causing organisms and understand their fundamental properties. More...
- Environmental Health Science
- Scientific and technological advances of the last century allowed for the detection of minute quantities of contaminants in complex environmental samples, such as soil, water and air. Complementing that capacity today is the emerging ability to directly measure environmental chemicals or their by-products in clinical specimens. At Wadsworth, scientists employ these and other approaches to monitoring the environment for public health threats, assessing individual exposures, and investigating the relationships between environmental, occupational and dietary exposures and health effects. Their studies also examine the underlying interactions of environmental toxicants with the immune, endocrine, neurological and genetic systems.