Biology Department Faculty

Thomas Chiles

Professor and Deluca Chair of Biology

Vice Provost for Research & Academic Planning

Photo of Thomas Chiles

Thomas Chiles

Ph.D.

Contact

Higgins Hall 544B

Telephone: 617-552-0840

Email: thomas.chiles@bc.edu

Education

  • Ph.D., University of Florida

Research Interests

Global Public Health., Immunobiology

Lymphocyte Signaling and Metabolism

Department

Biology

Research

My research interests partner with the Global Observatory for Planetary Health at 艾可直播 College. Recent efforts have focused on air pollution and its impact on the global burden of human disease, notably in the states of India. I was a member (鈥�15-鈥�18) on the Commission of Pollution, Health, and Development in partnership with The Lancet, the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. The Commission found that pollution is responsible for an estimated 9 million deaths per year and is closely linked to climate change, -threatening planetary health.聽 We have recently collaborated with colleagues on the Monaco Commission on Human Health and Ocean Pollution, which examined the links between ocean pollution and human health.聽 Currently, I am a member of an international group of scientists led by the Observatory and partners at Australia鈥檚 Minderoo Foundation and the Centre Scientifique de Monaco. This work is focused on the impact of plastics exposure on human and planetary health across the plastic life cycle.聽

My laboratory has also held an interest in understanding how extrinsic signals influence B lymphocyte growth and survival. We have focused on investigating the regulation and function of D-type cyclins in splenic B-2 and peritoneal B-1a cells in response to B-cell antigen receptor engagement. Effort has also been directed toward investigating the bioenergetics underlying B-2 lymphocyte survival, specifically identifying signaling and nutrient energy metabolic pathways linked to IL-4 receptors.聽 The research makes use of 2D-NMR and mass spectrometry to elucidate in vivo metabolic pathways that support lymphocyte survival. Additional interests are directed toward developing nanosensors for multiplex detection of disease biomarkers.

Selected Publications

  • Wirth, DA, Maureen Cropper, JD, Axelrad, D, Bald, C, et al. 2024. The Deadly Conflict between Manufactured Chemicals and Children鈥檚 Health: Need for a New Paradigm. New Eng. J. Med., in press
  • Taghian G, Fisher S, Chiles TC, Binagwaho A, Landrigan PJ.聽2023. The Burden of Cardiovascular Disease from Air Pollution in Rwanda. Annals of Global Health. 90(1):2. Doi: 10.5334/aogh.4322
  • Landrigan, PJ, Raps, H, et al. 2023. The Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health. Annals of Global Health. 89(1):23. doi: 10.5334/ aogh.4056.
  • Landrigan, PJ, Fuller, R, et al. 2022. Pollution and health: a progress update. An Update to the 2017. Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health. The Lancet Planet Health. May17, https://doi.org/10.1016/ S2542-5196(22)00090-0.
  • Kirchhoffer, D, Keenan, J, Valera, L, Zoboli, R. 2021. Recognising and responding Landrigan, PJ, Cropper, ML, Chiles, TC, et al. 2021. India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative Air Pollution Collaborators. Health and economic impact of air pollution in the states of India: The Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet Planet Health. doi: 10.1016/S2542-5196(20)30298-9.Epub 2020 Dec 27.
  • Valera, A, Nesbitt, N, Archibald, MM, Naughton, MJ, and Chiles, TC. 2019. Electrochemical on-chip detection of cholera toxin subunit B using a gold dendrite-based sensor. ACS Sensors 4:654-659.
  • Landrigan, PJ, Fuller, R, Acosta, NJR. et. al. 2017. The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health. Lancet S0140-6736(17)32345-0. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32345-0
  • Dufort, F.J., Gumina, M., Ta, N.L., Tao, Y., Heyse, S.A., Scott, D.A., Richardson, A.D., Seyfried, T.N., and Chiles, T.C. 2014. J. Biol. Chem. 289:7011-7024.
  • Zhao, H., Rizal, B., McMahon, G., Wang, H., Dhakal, P., Kirkpatrick, T., Ren, Z., Chiles, T.C., Naughton, M.J., and Cai, D. 2012. ACS Nano. 6:3171-3178.
  • Wang, K.W., Chen, W., Blair, D., Pu, M., Xu, Y., Miller, S.J., Redfield, A.G., Chiles, T.C., and Roberts, M.F. 2008. Structural specificity of the cytotoxicity of 3-deoxy-phosphatidylinositols in the human leukemic monocyte lymphoma cell line U937. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 130:7746-7755.
  • Doughty, C.A., Bleiman, B.F., Wagner, D.J., Dufort, F.J., Mataraza, J.M., Roberts, M.F., and Chiles, T.C. 2006. Antigen receptor-mediated changes in glucose metabolism in B lymphocytes: role of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling in the glycolytic control of growth. Blood 107:4458-4465.
  • Cai, D., Mataraza, J.M., Qin, Z.H., Huang, Z., Huang, J., Chiles, T.C., Carnahan, D., Kempa, K., and Ren, Z. 2005. Highly efficient molecular delivery into mammalian cells using carbon nanotube spearing. Nature Methods 2:449-454.
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