Brown University

Contested Illnesses Research Group
Brown University , Providence RI

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Formative Center for the Evaluation of Environmental Impacts on Fetal Development - Community Outreach and Translation Core

The Community Outreach and Translation Core works as part of a larger project that uses human fetal tissues for mechanistic investigations and biomarker development. Human fetal tissues will be xenotransplanted into an immunodeficient rodent host, the host will be exposed to an environmental stressor, and pathway alterations, dose response and novel biomarkers of effect will be identified. Endpoints to be assessed will include alterations in morphology, expression of differentiation-associated biomarkers, epigenetic alterations, and gene expression.

The Community Outreach and Translation Core provides education and capacity-building for project staff, hospital staff, patients, and the broad community. As well, it seeks to act in a strong ethical fashion and communicate that approach to all involved. Further, the Core seeks to provide the major outlet for making the Formative Center a vital children’s environmental health resource for the state.

We develop ethics model for the research use of fetal tissue and provide ethics education and consultation to Formative Center staff.

We provide ethics education, outreach, and consultation for hospital staff and IRB.

We provide education and capacity-building for patients on fetal tissue research and informed consent.

We provide education and capacity building for the broad public, both in Rhode Island and nationally.

We provide education for the overall Brown University community.

We publish research articles on ethics of fetal tissue research.

For full information on the research projects and cores of the Formative Children's Environmental Health Center, see:

Formative Center for the Evaluation of Environmental Impacts on Fetal Development