Dr. Curtis
Theresa M. Curtis,
Professor- Office: Bowers Hall, Room 1318
- Lab: Bowers Hall, Room 1319
- Phone: 607-753-2721
- Email: theresa.curtis@cortland.edu
Education
SUNY Plattsburgh, B.S. in Biochemistry and Biophysics
Albany Medical College, Ph.D. in Physiology and Cell Biology
Professional Experience
University of Virginia School of Medicine, Postdoctoral Fellow
Agave BioSystems Inc., Staff and Senior Scientist
Courses Frequently Taught
Human Physiology
Anatomy and Physiology I and II
Biomedical Sciences Seminar
Scholarly Interests
The research in my laboratory focuses on using vertebrate cells in a variety of sensor configurations to detect chemical threats in the environment. The ability to protect drinking water and food from the threat of accidental or intentional chemical exposure is becoming a growing need. Sensitive analyte-specific chemical tests exist, but a large number of tests would be needed to detect all possible chemicals, and unknown chemicals or mixtures may escape detection. To meet this growing need, my lab has been working on the development of a cellular-based biosensor to detect a broad range of agricultural and industrial chemicals. Currently, we are screening a variety of vertebrate cells to understand both the chemical toxicant sensitivity and the longevity of the cells in the portable sensor platform. Future efforts will be focused on transitioning more complex cell systems (organ- or body-on-a-chip systems) out of the laboratory and into the field to serve as sentinels in environmental monitoring applications. The development of fieldable organ- or body-on-a-chip devices would closely predict human health effects and thus allow more reliable assignments of toxicity over systems currently used.