Environmental & Analytical Toxicology

Warren G Foster

Warren G Foster
Professor, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
McMaster University, Canada

Biography

Dr Foster is a Professor in the Department of Obstetrics Gynecology at McMaster University His research interests are broadly focused on investigation of the role of environmental toxicants on human health Specifically his research aims to expand understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the adverse effects of environmental toxicants on the function of estrogen regulated tissues such as the breast ovary and endometrium His research is supported by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research CIHR the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council NSERC and Health Canada Dr Foster was also a recipient of a CIHR/Ontario Women’s Health Council mid career award Dr Foster serves on numerous prestigious regional national and international committees and is a regular contributor to peer reviewed scientific journals with greater than 250 scientific articles and presentations.

Research Interest

My research interests are broadly focused on enhancing understanding of the effect of exposure to environmental toxicants on reproductive health and development. Ongoing studies in my laboratory are designed to quantify human exposure to high priority and emerging environmental toxicants and explore potential associations with adverse health outcomes such as changes in birth weight, lipid metabolism, and thyroid function. Through animal studies and in vitro experiments my laboratory is studying the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and cigarette smoke induced ovarian follicle loss, subfertility, and premature ovarian senescence. We are also active in trying to develop a better understanding of the mechanisms of environmental toxicant induced adverse effects on estrogen dependent target tissues such as the uterus (endometriosis, implantation, and placenta function) and breast (breast cancer progression). Techniques employed in our studies include routine histology, immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy, isolated ovarian follicle culture, tissue culture, ELISA, Western blot, and real-time RT-PCR.