Staff

Marco Franco

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Dr. Marco Franco

Scientist

Department Environmental Toxicology

About Me

Chemical pollution isone of the most significant environmental threats, particularly for aquatic ecosystems where several organisms become exposed to a wide variety of contaminants. To preserve the ecological integrity of these ecosystems and to establish robust protection goals and regulations, it is of utmost importance to evaluate the adverse effects that exposed aquatic biota may experience, but also to have information about species sensitivity and the mechanisms by which these organisms may cope with pollution. In my line of work, I am interested in exploring the cellular and molecular pathways that are triggered in response to contaminant exposure, particularly those associated with the "chemical defensome"—the set of genes and pathways that are triggered in response to chemical exposure.

In past research work, I have led and participated in projects aimed to integrate in vitro and in vivo systems to explore the influence of exposure and evolutionary histories in the biotransformation of legacy pollutants, the role of seasonality and stream dynamics in modifying the estrogenic potential of wastewater, and some of the toxicological effects of natural (algal toxins) and anthropogenic pollutants using fish and human models.

I am also deeply interested in the development and application of animal alternatives in support of the reduction, refinement, and replacement of whole-animal experimentation. Approaches such as the use of in silico (computational) and in vitro (e.g. cell lines) systems could have a significant positive impact in accurately predicting adverse toxicological effects, in enhancing the way toxicity testing is conducted, and in the establishment of robust, weight of evidence (WoE) assessments to characterize environmental risk.

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Projects

BIOTRANSFORM: Organ- and species-specific biotransformation of aquatic micropollutants in fish

BIOTRANSFORM
Cell-based technologies combined with extrapolation models facilitate the estimation of chemical bioaccumulation, hence improving predictions of the in vivo level without the use of animals.

Bioaccumulation of chemicals using cell-based fish models

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Publications

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Address

E-Mail: marco.franco@eawag.ch
Phone: +41 58 765 5550
Fax: +41 58 765 5802
Address: Eawag
Überlandstrasse 133
8600 Dübendorf
Office: BU E23
Download VCard

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Research Group

Animal Cells and Organisms, Utox

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Focalpoints

Chemical Pollution

Aquatic Toxicology

Chemical Defensome

Mechanistic Toxicity

Biotransformation

In Vitro and In Vivo Systems

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