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Program

This training program in toxicology prepares scientists to make original research contributions on the impacts of hazardous chemicals, organisms and other environmental agents on human health.  The program is supported by a grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (T32-ES007020).  Our principal goal is to contribute toward the training of the next generation of toxicologists who will work in academia, government and industry.  Historically, we have emphasized the development and application of in vivo and in vitro experimental models designed ultimately to elucidate the molecular, cellular and tissue based mechanisms underlying environmentally induced disease.  A particular emphasis area has been on the synergisms that exist between chemical agents in the environment and inflammation by the innate or adaptive immune systems, sometimes in association with infectious biological agents (e.g., the synergism between aflatoxin and hepatitis in the etiology of human liver cancer).  We also emphasize the development of chemical, biochemical and genomic tools that aid in health-hazard identification. In this latter area, we have been particularly active in the development of novel genomic, proteomic and chemical biomarkers, which provide a modern approach for detection and characterization of the adverse effects of environmental agent exposure. 

The program encompasses a number of important areas: genetic, biochemical, pathological, immunological, and analytical toxicology. Thirteen  members of the academic faculty supervise research activities available to the trainees. This grant currently funds seven predoctoral and six postdoctoral trainees in toxicology. John Essigmann is the current Principal Investigator of the program, and he will be turning it over to Forest White on July 1, 2025.  

Program Requirements

Requirements for doctoral program

Graduate students who wish to study toxicology at MIT typically first gain admission to the Department of Biological Engineering (BE).  While Biological Engineering and the Center for Environmental Health Sciences are the administrative homes of the program, other participating departments and centers include the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Biology, the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Department of Chemistry, Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, and the Department of Chemical Engineering.  While customized courses of study are possible, most students take the coursework listed below, which prepares them for an MIT doctoral degree with an area of specialization in Molecular and Systems Toxicology in the Department of Biological Engineering.  Students also attend a 6 week course in Responsible Conduct in Research. While training in toxicology is open to all students, only US residents or permanent citizens are eligible for financial support on the Training Grant. 

Requirements for the postdoctoral doctoral program

There are no formal course requirements but postdoctoral applicants must have a background relevant to the research programs of the toxicology faculty.  Postdoctoral trainees attend two seminar programs [Bioengineering and Toxicology Seminar (BATS; 20.200) and the External Seminar Series (20.952)] along with the 6 week Responsible Conduct in Research Series.  They are also invited to participate in any coursework that matches their current or future interests.  Each postdoctoral trainee is mentored by two faculty members: their research supervisor and a career mentor appointed by Professor Leona Samson.

Required or Recommended Courses

Training for participants in this Training Grant involves formal didactic courses, formal and informal seminars and other means of information exchange, as well as laboratory research projects utilizing appropriate model systems for problem definition and solution.  The Training Grant in Environmental Toxicology is run out of the academic program in Molecular and Systems Toxicology, which is a sub-program of the Department of Biological Engineering (BE).  Most faculty also are members of the MIT Center for Environmental Health Sciences (CEHS), which provides world class support via its research facilities cores.  Professors Engelward and Dedon convene the toxicology faculty approximately 5 times per year to discuss curricular issues.  The Applied Biosciences (reflecting the name of Toxicology’s original departmental home) track within BE leads toward the PhD or ScD with areas of specialization in Molecular and Systems Toxicology and Pharmacology and Molecular and Systems Bacterial Pathogenesis.

In summary, BE has three areas of specialization, (i) Bioengineering, (ii) Molecular and Systems Toxicology and (iii) Pharmacology and Molecular and Systems Bacterial Pathogenesis. Most students supported on the Toxicology Training Grant come through the toxicology or pathogenesis tracks, although the Personnel Steering Committee (Professors White, Ribbeck and Essigmann) looks at the nature of the research project more than the area of specialization when making appointments.

The typical program of study of students in the toxicology and pathogenesis tracks includes the following courses:

Genetic Toxicology (20.213)
Systems Toxicology and Pharmacology (20.201)
Animal Models in Toxicology and Pharmacology (20.202)

This area of specialization is on top of a Core curriculum consisting of:

Bimolecular Kinetics & Cellular Dynamics (20.420)
Analysis of Biological Networks (20.440)
Molecular and Cellular Pathophysiology (20.450)

Specialty courses in Molecular Epidemiology (20.215) and related areas are offered as restricted electives. 

Responsible Conduct in Research Program

Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research training is held on six successive Wednesdays room 56-614 from 4pm-6pm.  The program changes with regard to specifics every year, but that from 2024 is listed below to give examples of what we cover.  Two Trainees combine with two faculty mentors to run each session.  

1. Wednesday, October 2, 2024 Movie Discussion “And the Band Played On” 

Faculty Hosts: PI Essigmann and PI Metcalf Pate

Trainees: Esha Dalvie, Owen Leddy

With the world remembering the most recent viral pandemic, it is helpful to look back at another one – the discovery and impact of HIV/AIDS.  This video is rife with ethical issues: misappropriation of data, the intervention of politicians who try to create barriers to science, overt homophobia, bullying by established investigators who try to grab the glory (and patents) for themselves, and the political clout of the blood industry, which had a lot to lose since they control access to the blood supply for transfusions.

2.  Wednesday, October 9 Movie Discussion: “Glory Enough for All” 

Faculty Hosts: PI Griffith, PI Spranger

Trainees: Joseph Romeo, Dominick Hellen

Banting and Macleod shared the Nobel Prize for the discovery of insulin. The backstory is amazing.  Imagine your advisor puts you in competition with a lab mate on the same project.  Imagine that you were so paranoid about the other person that you keep the details of your scientific work “in your head” rather than write them down.  And, then, after a great success you are unable to remember the details well enough to reproduce them.  Finally, when you get to do clinical trials, you select a patient who comes from a politically well-connected family as the first to receive your drug.

3. Wednesday, October 16  Movie Discussion: “A Civil Action” 

Faculty Hosts: PI Engelward, PI Forest

Trainees: Kristen Riedlinger, Lindsay Volk

MIT has a Superfund grant that was motivated by the plight of citizens who claimed that their drinking water was contaminated by a toxic waste pit currently owned by the Olin Chemical Corp.  A few miles away, another Superfund site caused similar concerns in the adjacent town of Woburn, MA.  A movie was made about the Woburn problem, which was based on a best-selling book called A Civil Action.  The Trainees will watch the movie and show excerpts to the class.  The Trainees will then lead a discussion about how community concerns can spur reactions via the legal system

4.  Wednesday, October 23 Movie Discussion: “Race for the Double Helix” 

Faculty Hosts: PI Ribbeck, PI Drennan, PI Furst

Trainees: Christa Imrich, Molly Warndorf

MIT is grappling with issues in which we are trying to address the unmet needs of people who have been historically marginalized.  The pace and style of modern biology in the fast lane might have begun with the work done by Francis Crick, Rosalind Franklin, James Watson and Maurice Wilkins in which structural studies led to insights into the nature of DNA as the vehicle of inheritance.  Two students will view this film and excerpt segments from it that deal with the pressures that scientists and engineers feel to solve problems in a way that acknowledges the contributions of all who have helped solve the problem                                                                                                                                                                                   

5.  Wednesday, October 30.  Movie Discussion: “Whistleblowing and Scientific Misconduct — The Challenger Disaster”

Faculty Host: PI Swager, PI Lauffenburger

Trainees: Lexia Cicone, Teresa Dinter, Samantha Holt

This session focuses on the role of a whistle blower and the consequences of reporting a scientific coverup.  Our group will view the film called “The Challenger Disaster,” which tells the story of how a whistle blower helped show what really happened in the tragic explosion of the space shuttle Challenger.  People in authority were not forthcoming with the truth, which bothered some who knew that the seals on the space craft were at risk of failure during the moments after takeoff. 

6.   Wednesday, November 6.  Website Discussion Based on “The Lab,” A Video on Laboratory Misconduct

Faculty Hosts: PI Kroll, PI Plata

Trainees: Lexy LeMar, Kate Bridges, Marjon Zamani

The NIH Office of Research Integrity produced an interactive video to help personalize the situation scientists need to confront when misconduct has occurred in their laboratory. This web site is like a “choose your own adventure” books many of you might have had as kids.  The Trainees will walk you through this web site, which is sure to incite lots of questions for discussion. 

*Generally each session above is run by one to three trainees, with at least one to two faculty mentors present.   

Applying to the Program

The trainee candidate works with his or her faculty supervisor to assemble an application package for Professor John Essigmann, who distributes it to the Training Grant Steering Committee for evaluation.  We strongly encourage women, underrepresented minority candidates, and persons with disabilities to apply for funding.  The training program faculty are always prepared to discuss the career opportunities in this interesting and useful field.