Ricercatori

Chiara Ballan

• Email: chiara.ballan@unito.it
• Expertise: Neuroendocrinology, endocrine disruptors, development
• Pubblications:  view 
• CV: view
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I am a Phd student in Neuroscience. I studied psychology, neuropsychology and cognitive science. I developed a strong interest for biological and physiological topics. After a training period in an electrophysiologic laboratory in Padua (IT), I started my present PhD project at the Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO) in Turin (IT), under the supervision of Professor Stefano Gotti, and in Cotutelle Agreement with Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (ES) under the supervision of Professor Daniela Grassi. My expertise involves different techniques, such as immunohistochemistry, behavioral test, primary cell colture, Western blot, PCR, ELISA.

My research line focuses of Endocrine Disruptor Compounds, exogenous chemicals, or a mixture of them, that can interfere with any aspect of hormone action, blocking or mimicking them. They can alter the organizational process during “critical periods” such as pregnancy and lactation and cause permanent adverse effects later in life; well-known are the adverse reproductive outcomes associated with their exposure. In my project three chemicals highly prevalent in daily life are investigated: bisphenol A, a compound found in plastic objects; bisphenol S, its substitute; PFOS, an industrial chemical highly persistent in the human body. The aim is to investigate the exposure of them, individually or mixed, at the concentrations suggested by the European Authority or lower to explore eventual adverse effects compared to thresholds. Moreover, an important goal of the present study is to determine if the sex can be a relevant variable in the outcomes.