Consortium to Study the Genetics of Lead Pollution in India

A consortium has been formed to study how genetics and environmental lead pollution interact to affect the intellectual and behavioral development of children in India.
Research groups from two American universities, Harvard University (Boston, MA, USA) and the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, USA) are working with the biotechnology company Bioserve (Laurel, MD, USA; and Hyderabad, India) on this three-year study. BioServe, which has state-of-the-art laboratory facilities in India, will undertake DNA purification and genotyping on tissue samples collected from 750 school children in Chennai (formerly Madras), India who have been exposed to lead pollutants.
The goal is to determine how individual genetic makeup may modify the neurobehavioral impact of lead exposure and to relate these findings to how lead exposure affects both visual-spatial-motor skills and aggressive behavior.
"This study represents a cutting edge research collaboration that will gain insights into a global environmental health problem,” said Dr. Howard Hu, professor of environmental medicine at the University of Michigan. "Understanding the interrelationship of environmental hazards, genetics, and health will provide the information that is needed to formulate regulatory policies, prioritize public health controls, and educate the medical community and the public on how best to mitigate particular environmental exposures.”
Rama Modali, chief executive officer of BioServe, said, "We are excited to play an important role in this landmark health study. Our genotyping studies will contribute to the Indian and international biomedical communities' further understanding of the dynamics between lead exposure and chronic diseases, as well as genetic polymorphisms that increase the risk of environmentally induced disease.”



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University of Michigan
Harvard University
Bioserve