University of California-San Diego · PharmacologyThe Toxicity and Liver Lab
Robert H Tukey · La Jolla, California
Research Focus
Dr. Robert H Tukey's lab at UC San Diego explores how exposure to environmental toxins, particularly triclosan, during early life can influence liver health in children and adults. The lab's studies focus on understanding how these exposures could lead to metabolic diseases and other health issues like severe jaundice in newborns. By using mouse models, they aim to uncover the mechanisms that connect early toxicant exposure to long-term health outcomes, particularly in relation to liver disease and gut health.
triclosanliver diseaseneonatal hyperbilirubinemianecrotizing enterocolitisgut-liver axistoxicitymetabolic diseaseenvironmental healthintestinal barrier
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate how early-life exposure to triclosan impacts liver health in adulthood.
AIM 02Examine the mechanisms by which triclosan disrupts the gut-liver axis.
AIM 03Study the relationship between human breast milk and the development of neonatal diseases such as hyperbilirubinemia and necrotizing enterocolitis.
AIM 04Explore the potential protective roles of specific proteins in liver and intestinal health.
AIM 05Identify therapeutic targets to mitigate the effects of toxicant exposure in early development.
Skills the Lab Values
mouse modelsgene expression analysisWestern blotPCRcell culturemetabolomicsbiochemical assaysneonatal care techniquesbioinformaticsimmunohistochemistry
Output against the department
Publications207top 43% of dept.196th of 462
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations12ktop 32% of dept.148th of 462
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.