Once the different modes of action have been deciphered, appropriate risk assessment methodologies can be developed to replace the current approach, which is based on the faulty assumption of a single mechanism of action. Using animal models to understand human disease. Technical advances have always played a key role in improving our ability to prevent and treat disease and are equally important in the discovery process in environmental health research. Recently developed methods in animal genetics allow the study of diseases in a way that was impossible when this Institute was created 30 years ago. These new techniques provide the remarkable ability to introduce mutations into the genetic material of mice that can be passed to their offspring.
Investigators can now insert any mutation they choose into the mouse genome.
They can also transfer genes from one animal species to another, and they can express genes at a different time and in different tissue than normal. Researchers are on the verge of creating the three most important animal models needed to determine the role of the environment in the development of breast and ovarian cancers. The female hormone estrogen directs and controls cell growth and differentiation by binding to the estrogen receptor located in tissues throughout the body. Many environmental compounds bind to these same receptors, thus, potentially acting as environmental estrogens. These environmental compounds may play a role in a wide range of diseases.