David C. Spink

Current research efforts are focused on the role of estrogens and estrogen metabolism in the genesis of breast cancer. We are investigating the effects of exposure to environmental toxicants including polychlorinated dioxins, dibenzofurans and biphenyls on cytochrome P450-catalyzed steroid and xenobiotic metabolism and evaluation of the potential roles of this metabolism in endocrine disruption and carcinogenesis. In vitro metabolic studies employ normal breast epithelial cells and breast tumor cells in culture.

Studies involve the development and application of analytical methods for metabolite identification and quantitation by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry.