How does our body handle arsenic?

Arsenic is the most abundant toxin found in nature and is widely distributed in soil and ground water. Over 200 million people worldwide suffer from chronic arsenic exposure, which contributes to adverse health effects including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and cognitive disorders including Alzheimer’s disease. Consumption of contaminated water and dietary sources like rice are the largest sources of human arsenic exposure, particularly in Asia and in parts of the Americas, including the Southwestern United States. Arsenic exposure is widespread, yet exposure risk is greater in economically disadvantaged and minority communities, making this a problem of not only basic science, but racial and environmental justice.

I am developing an independent research program broadly focused on heavy metals and their role in human disease. My research specifically focuses on arsenic methyltransferase (AS3MT), the principal enzyme involved in human arsenic metabolism. Our current understanding of human AS3MT is constrained by a lack of reliable functional or structural data on how this enzyme works. This is particularly significant in light of the >250 known naturally occurring variants of the enzyme, some of which are known to affect susceptibility to diseases caused by arsenic exposure. Our hope is to develop an understanding of this enzyme through the targeted application of biochemical, structural and genetic techniques.