The College of Biological Science is proud to host Prof. Holly A. Shiels (Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester) as the keynote speaker of the 2023 Marcel Ali Lecture in Aquatic Biology.

From Oil Spills to Air Pollution: The Heartbreak of PAHs

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) derive from fossil fuels and enter aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems where they are cardiotoxic. This seminar will begin with marine oil spills and the evidence pointing to the 3-ringed PAH – phenanthrene – as a key cardiotoxicant for fish and aquatic invertebrates. The data will show how exposure to this single but ubiquitous pollutant disrupts cellular function in cardiomyocytes leading to changes in whole organ function. These effects increase susceptibility to life-threatening arrhythmias and mechanistically link an abundant pollutant to cardiac health risk. As global levels of fossil-fuel based pollution continue to rise, the vertebrate cardiotoxicity discussed here also serves as a portend for human health.

Join us in-person (ALEX 200) or online (https://zoom.us/j/95799778017?pwd=a21wbU1oUC9kWFRNbVVJOFU4RTh3QT09; Meeting ID: 957 9977 8017; Passcode: 402870)

EVERYONE IS WELCOME TO ATTEND!

For questions about this event, email tgillis@uoguelph.ca.