Ilaria Merutka
PhD Candidate, Duke University
Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health Program
She/Her
Description: Ilaria will present an overview of her PhD thesis work concerning the nephrotoxicity of metals and glyphosate as drinking water contaminants, both as species of concern for environmentally-driven CKDs and as widespread pollutants that may pose a risk for long-term kidney health even at levels regulated as safe. She will present insights on the impact of chronic exposure to drinking-water levels of metals and glyphosate, and how chronic, mild mitochondrial toxicity may undermine renal health and function. Then, she will discuss the use of larval zebrafish to screen complex mixtures of drinking water contaminants for developmental toxicity and to identify which chemical components may be driving the observed toxicity, which can help prioritize mixture constituents for further assessment.
About the speaker: Ilaria came to environmental toxicology with a background in biochemistry (B.S. 2017, Univ of Chicago) and cell biology (research technician, OHSU). Her thesis work in the Jayasundara Lab has focused on environmental drivers of kidney health, and specifically, how chronic exposure to metals and glyphosate in drinking water can undermine renal function at the subcellular and physiological levels. Next, she hopes to further contribute to understanding the role of environmental exposures in kidney health or otherwise leverage her expertise in toxicology to provide scientific support to environmental protection processes and advocacy. She is passionate about native plant restoration and enriching urban land use for biodiversity, hiking, video games, and improving the translatability of toxicology research to citizens and other scientific fields.
Thursday, April 10, 2025, 12:00-1:15pm Eastern
Room 5109, Grainger Hall (9 Circuit Drive, Durham, NC)
This seminar will also be presented live via Zoom. Register for the link HERE.