“The early life human exposures to environmental pollutants is a growing health concern that deserves more scientific scrutiny.”
The research of Hanna Dusza focuses on method development and characterization of the prenatal exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and other environmental pollutants, such as micro-/nanoplastics, and the effects these pollutants may have on the placenta and the developing fetus.
Contaminants in in utero environment
Research into prenatal exposure to environmental pollutants and their contribution to the developmental etiology of diseases is of concern to the public health but still in its infancy. There are thousands of man-made chemicals and contaminants introduced into the environment, from which many might pass the placenta and be potentially harmful to the fetus during its most vulnerable period of development. However, the extend to which baby is exposed to these pollutants and their mechanisms of toxicity are still largely unknown. Dusza’s research focuses on addressing these pending issues.
PhD and current research
During her PhD research, Dusza developed a novel method to detect and characterize a broad range of possibly harmful chemical substances (specifically EDCs) with biological activity in the human amniotic fluid. Amniotic fluid is a repository for many contaminants mothers are exposed during pregnancy, is in the direct contact with the fetus, and can be collected in a non-invasive way during delivery, which makes it an ideal matrix to study the prenatal exposure. Her current research efforts focus on in vitro placental models to study in utero toxicokinetics and toxicity of micro and nanoplastic particles and associated EDCs, within a ZonMW program (the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development). This is a pioneering research on the exposure and effects of microplastics in the human fetal environment. In the context of the above research she applies a broad range of chemical and toxicological methods, such as targeted and non-targeted chemical analysis (UPHPLC, HRLC-MS, Orbitrap, GC-MS), in vitro bioassays, molecular and cellular toxicity assays, qPCR analysis, immunocytochemistry and high-content cellular imaging.