Systems Biology in Toxicology and Environmental Health

Systems Biology in Toxicology and Environmental Health uses a systems biological perspective to detail the most recent findings that link environmental exposures to human disease, providing an overview of molecular pathways that are essential for cellular survival after exposure to environmental toxicants, recent findings on gene-environment interactions influencing environmental agent-induced diseases, and the development of computational methods to predict susceptibility to environmental agents. Introductory chapters on molecular and cellular biology, toxicology and computational biology are included as well as an assessment of systems-based tools used to evaluate environmental health risks. Further topics include research on environmental toxicants relevant to human health and disease, various high-throughput technologies and computational methods, along with descriptions of the biological pathways associated with disease and the developmental origins of disease as they relate to environmental contaminants.

Systems Biology in Toxicology and Environmental Health is an essential reference for undergraduate students, graduate students, and researchers looking for an introduction in the use of systems biology approaches to assess environmental exposures and their impacts on human health.

Provides the first reference of its kind, demonstrating the application of systems biology in environmental health and toxicologyIncludes introductions to the diverse fields of molecular and cellular biology, toxicology, and computational biologyPresents a foundation that helps users understand the connections between the environment and health effects, and the biological mechanisms that link them

Chapter 1: Introduction to systems biology
Chapter 2: Biology basics
Chapter 3: From the genome to epigenome: fundamental concepts
Chapter 4: Tools and technologies used in systems biology
Chapter 5: Computational methods used in systems biology
Chapter 6: Environmental contaminants
Chapter 7: The role of inflammation-associated pathways as responders to contaminants and in disease progression
Chapter 8: The role of apoptosis-associated pathways as responders to contaminants and in disease progression
Chapter 9: The role of DNA damage and repair pathways in response to contaminants and disease
Chapter 10: Hormone response pathways as responders to contaminants and disease
Chapter 11: Developmental origins of disease 
Chapter 12: The systems perspective