The SBRC at OHSU has received an administrative supplemental grant to initiate a partnership with the Chulabhorn Research Institute (CRI) in Bangkok, Thailand. This grant involves a collaboration with the Toxicogenomics Research Center (TRC) at OHSU, which, like the SBRC, is housed in the Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology (CROET), The goal of this project is to promote productive scientific interactions among the three research centers and to introduce toxicogenomics techniques to CRI.

All three centers share research interests in toxicology and child health. The CRI is designated as a UNEP Center of Excellence for Environmental and Industrial Toxicology and a World Health Organization Child Environmental Health Center. At OHSU, the SBRC and TRC concentrate on development and child health. Specifically, the SBRC focuses on aromatic and aliphatic solvents that cause neurotoxicity, while the TRC is focused on neurotoxicogenomics and child health. This partnership will transfer CROET’s specialization in neurotoxicology and toxigenomics to CRI.

The CRI-CROET project focuses on benzene, an important component of air pollution in Bangkok. Like many other megacities, air pollution in Thailand’s largest city is associated with the use of transportation fuel. Although air quality has improved considerably since 1989—a consequence of several rounds of fuel reformulation—serious problems remain. Leaded gasoline was removed from the market in January 1996. With the removal of lead, aromatic solvents in gasoline, including benzene, have become leading hazardous components of vehicular emissions. Benzene is found in transportation exhaust gases not only because it is in gasoline, but also because it is formed from toluene and xylene during the combustion process. Although the aromatic solvent content of gasoline was reduced from <50% to <35% by volume in January 2000, public exposure to benzene and other aromatic hydrocarbon solvents remains a significant source of public health concern because of the carcinogenic and neurotoxic potential of these chemicals.

In this project, the mouse toxicogenomic profile associated with benzene will be determined using cutting edge toxigenomic technology currently used at OHSU. Mice will be exposed to benzene at CRI, while processing and analysis of data will occur simultaneously at both CRI and CROET to determine whether comparable results were obtained. This collaboration will establish a mutually beneficial scientific relationship between the US and Thailand. In addition, the project will provide a mechanism to transfer toxicogenomic technology from OHSU to CRI and will institute a research program that is of great public health importance to Thailand and other countries concerned about the health impact of exposure to vehicle emissions.