Augustine Arukwe, DSc
Professor, Department of Biology
Norwegian University of Science & Technology (NTNU)
He/Him
Description: Several animal studies have produced an increasing amount of evidence suggesting that continued exposure to contaminants with endocrine-disrupting potentials (endocrine-disrupting chemicals, EDCs) contribute to the increased prevalence of metabolic disorders in wildlife species and humans. The environmental obesogenic hypothesis was proposed to explain the involvement of environmental contaminants that can disrupt normal development and control of adipogenesis and energy balance. Increase in adipocyte number and lipid content are required for the progression to obesity, and transcriptional master regulators are critical to the regulation of gene networks that control intracellular lipid homeostasis, adipocyte proliferation and differentiation. While there are few studies on molecular and cellular mechanisms that underly the obesogen-related metabolic disorders, the systems toxicological understanding of these processes under a one health network has not been fully explored. In this presentation, I will use two animal models (fish and rodents) as proxies for different taxa and humans in explaining the role(s) played by environmental contaminants in the prevalence of metabolic disorders. The application of one health and systems toxicology in understanding toxicological mode-of-action and associated adverse outcomes, requires a multidisciplinary approach, where omics technologies is in harmony with molecular and cell biology, physiology, pathology, marine science, environmental chemistry, ecology, as well as computational biology.
About the speaker: Professor Augustine Arukwe is a molecular toxicologist at the Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) Trondheim and European registered toxicologist. He has held and holds several administrative positions both at NTNU and elsewhere. His experience and research has addressed and still addresses issues of impact/risk assessment, functional and regulatory aspects of differentially expressed genes, proteins and enzymes, and the general stress of contaminants, including endocrine modulators in wildlife species and fish reproductive physiology.
He received his Doctor of Science (DSc) degree from the university of Bergen in 1998 and has since then worked in the USA and Canada in different academic capacities. Prof. Arukwe is inducted into the Royal Norwegian Academy of Science and Letter. He was a member of Scientific Steering Committee for the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety for 6 years (members are Nominated by the Minister of Health). He has previously been a consultant for the United Nations University – International Network on Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) on a self-initiated project on environmental biomonitoring programme in Nigeria and capacity development for local scientists to sustain the monitoring. A major and pioneering focus on his research has been on the evaluation of environmental impact and risk assessment, development, and validation sensitive biomarkers for endocrine and chemical exposure in organisms (fish, marine birds, amphibians and marine mammals). He has developed teaching and research tools on the molecular basis and mechanisms of toxicity and physiological responses with particular focus on differentially expressed genes whose functional products may modulate general health, fitness, growth and development in aquatic species and the susceptibility/adaptation of these responses to climate change. He is also extensively involved in several capacity building projects in Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Vietnam. Prof. Arukwe has written 2 books, 6 book chapters, >185 peer-reviewed research papers, >200 conference papers, >22 technical reports, >25 invited lectures and 4 book dissertations and supervised several graduate and post-graduate students. Professor Arukwe is a member of several professional bodies (SETAC, SOT, NSFT etc.).
Thursday, February 13, 2025, 12:00-1:15pm Eastern
This seminar will ONLY be presented live via Zoom. Click HERE to register.