Professor Andreas Kortenkamp
Professor - Human Molecular Toxicology
Heinz Wolff 001E
- Email: andreas.kortenkamp@brunel.ac.uk
- Tel: +44 (0)1895 266525
- Environmental Sciences
- Department of Life Sciences
- College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences
Summary
Traditional chemicals risk assessment has a quite artificial orientation: It treats chemicals as if they act in isolation, when in reality there is exposure to multiple substances. For more than 15 years, our team have been engaged in efforts to find ways of improving risk assessment by taking “cocktail effects” into account. This work has proceeded in stages: Firstly, when we have information about the toxicity of individual mixture components, is it possible to predict the effects of the combination? Working with mixtures of endocrine disrupting chemicals we have shown that this is achievable. Secondly, what is the composition of mixtures of environmental relevance, and what effects do they produce? Work on this aspect of the mixtures issue is currently proceeding in our group. We are also interested in making an impact on chemical regulation by addressing the questions: Which chemicals should be grouped together for mixtures risk assessment? What are scientifically sound grouping criteria?We have prepared scientific reports for the European Commission, including the State of the Art Report on Mixture Toxicology. Currently we are writing a State of the Art Assessment for Endocrine Disrupters, a project also commissioned by the European Commission.
Another research interest is in unravelling the details of estrogen signalling and estrogen-mediated effects with a view to understanding hormonal cancers, especially breast cancer. Here, I closely collaborate with Dr Elisabete Silva.
Qualifications
1983: Degree in Chemistry, Philosophy and Educational Sciences from University of Muenster, Germany 1989: PhD (with distinction) from Bremen University, Bremen, GermanyCareer
- 1990-1991: Post-doctoral Fellow at Queen Mary London, University of London.
- 1991-2000: Lecturer in Environmental Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, University of London, London.
- 2000-2005: Senior Lecturer, School of Pharmacy, University of London, London.
- 2005-2007: Reader and Head of Centre for Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, University of London, London.
- 2007-2011: Professor for Molecular Toxicology, Head of Centre for Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, University of London, London.
- 2011-present: Professor in the Institute for the Environment, Brunel University.
Newest selected publications
Kortenkamp, A., Scholze, M., Ermler, S., Priskorn, L., Jørgensen, N., Andersson, A-M. and et al. (2022) 'Combined exposures to bisphenols, polychlorinated dioxins, paracetamol, and phthalates as drivers of deteriorating semen quality'. Environment International, 165. pp. 1 - 14. ISSN: 0160-4120 Open Access Link
Kortenkamp, A. (2022) 'Invited Perspective: How Relevant Are Mode-of-Action Considerations for the Assessment and Prediction of Mixture Effects?'. Environmental health perspectives, 130 (4). pp. 1 - 2. ISSN: 0091-6765 Open Access Link
Ermler, S. and Kortenkamp, A. (2022) 'Declining semen quality and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs): Review of the literature to support the derivation of a reference dose for a mixture risk assessment'. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 242. pp. 1 - 10. ISSN: 1438-4639 Open Access Link
Brack, W., Barcelo Culleres, D., Boxall, ABA., Budzinski, H., Castiglioni, S., Covaci, A., et al. (2022) 'One planet: one health. A call to support the initiative on a global science–policy body on chemicals and waste'. Environmental Sciences Europe, 34 (1). pp. 1 - 10. ISSN: 2190-4707 Open Access Link
Kortenkamp, A., Martin, O., Ermler, S., Baig, A. and Scholze, M. (2022) 'Bisphenol A and declining semen quality: A systematic review to support the derivation of a reference dose for mixture risk assessments'. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 241. pp. 1 - 12. ISSN: 1438-4639 Open Access Link