Brad L. Upham

Assistant Professor, Pediatrics and Human Development

243 Food Safety and Toxicology Building
517-432-3100, ext 186
E-mail: Upham@msu.edu

Research Interests:
Dr. Upham works in the area of genetic toxicology and oncology. Current research projects involve determining the cellular mechanisms by which nutrition, oxidative stress, and environmental & food borne contaminants affect cell proliferative, differentiation and apoptotic processes that ultimately cumulates into states of human diseases such as cancer. Studies on cellular mechanisms focus primarily on how intracellular signal transduction pathways and gap junctional intercellular communication collaboratively orchestrate the epigenetic expression of genes in rodent and human stem cell model systems. These mechanistic based results are important in identifying molecular targets for chemoprevention, -intervention and -therapeutic strategies for the control of human diseases such as cancer. These results are also important in determining a more accurate assessment of risk of these chemicals on human health. He also use various in vitro bioassays of cell communication to estimate the risk of epigenetic toxicity of environmental toxicants in the design of engineered environmental remediation systems.

Educational Background:
University of New Hampshire, B.S., 1981, Biology 
University of New Hampshire, M.S., 1983, Botany  
Michigan State Univ., M.S., 1993, Environmental Toxicology and Engineering
Virginia Polytech. & S. U, Ph.D, 1986, Plant Physiol./Biochem

Selected Professional Activities:
Dr. Upham received a Japan Food Hygiene Fellowship in 1999 from the Japanese National Institute of Health Sciences, Cellular & Molecular Toxicology Division, Biological Safety Research Center, to conduct research in Japan on a project titled “In vivo determination of changes in key inter- and intra-cellular events in the mitogenic properties of peroxisome proliferators”. Some past honors include 1988 Sigma Xi Ph.D. Research Award, from the Sima Xi, The Scientific Research Society, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
and a 1986 Research Award, Virginia Agricultural Chemical and Soil Fertility Association, Private Foundation, Annual award for outstanding research contributing to Virginia Agriculture. He is a member of the American Chemical Society; Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society; the Society for In-Vitro Biology; and the Society of Toxicology.

Publications:

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