Center for PFAS Research

Brad L. Upham, Associate Professor in the College of Human Medicine's Department of Pediatrics and Human Development, conducts basic research in the field of toxicology, directs research translation projects, and conducts community engagement for the Michigan State University Superfund Research Center (MSU-SRP). His basic research program studies how environmental contaminants, including PFAS, alter cell signaling pathways at the molecular level to produce adverse health outcomes, with particular emphasis on carcinogens. He also studies how natural products interact with these cell signaling pathways to prevent the toxic effects of environmental contaminants.

Professor Upham leads the Research Translation Core (RTC) and is a co-investigator for the Community Engagement Core (CEC) at the MSU-SRP, which is funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Science. The MSU-SRP conducts health-oriented research on risks from exposure to chemicals commonly found in Superfund sites, and on remediation technologies that might eliminate the potential for exposure to such chemicals. The RTC facilitates translation of the center's findings to external stakeholders, while the CEC serves to educate, and learn from, communities impacted by hazardous waste sites.

Education & Training

BS Biology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 1981
MS Botany and Biochemistry, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 1983
MS Enfironmental Engineering and Environmental Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 1993
PhD Plant Physiology/Biochemistry and Weed Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Blacksburg, VA 1986

Selected Grants

P40, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), NIH
R01, National Institute of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS), NIH

Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications

Mutation Res-Fundam. Molec. Mechan. Mutat. 2005, 591:187-197
Radiation Environ. Biophys., 2005, 44:3-9
Carcinogenesis, 2005, 26:665-671
Nutr. Cancer, 2005, 51:218-225
Toxicol. Sci., 2005, 85:694-702
Toxicol. Sci., 2005, 86:417-426
Mutagenesis, 2005, 20:81-92
Nutr. Cancer, 2007, 57:38-47
Int. J. Cancer, 2007, 120:1855-1862
Environ. Toxicol. Chem., 2007, 26:2308-2316
J. Agric. Food Chem., 2008, 56:2977-2984
Cancer Sci., 2008, 99:696-705
Toxicology, 2008, 247:55-60
Antiox. Redox. Signal, 2009, 11:297-307
Environmental Health Perspectiv., 2009, 117:545-551
Int. J. Cancer, 2009, 124:2512-2519
Toxicon, 2009, 55:126-134
Water Research, 2009, 44:505-520
Int. J. Toxicol., 2010, 29:344-357
Current Protocol, 2010, 47:2.1-2.18.18
PLoS ONE, 2013, 8(6):e65150
J. Molec. Biomark. Diagn., 2014, 5:160
J. Stem Cell Res. Ther., 2014, 4:205
PLoS ONE, 2015, 10(5):e0124454

Awards and Honors

Distinguished Service Award, Society of In Vitro Biology, 2011
Japan Food Hygiene Fellowship, 1999
Sigma Xi PhD Research Award, 1988