| The high
technology Center has been established
for the study of damages to the nervous and endocrine systems
produced by environmental, alimentary and pharmacologic agents.
Various environmental agents of physical, chemical and biological
nature can interfere with many functions of human and animal organisms,
either directly or indirectly, through the food chain. The use and the
abuse of drugs with toxic or hormonal activities has recently
attracted the attention of the scientific community and of the media,
because of the large impact on the general population. In order to
adopt preventive measures the knowledge of the mechanisms involved in
the damages produced by exogenous agents on the nervous and endocrine
systems is necessary. These systems together form an integrated unit
controlling all organs and functions. The response of the nervous and
endocrine systems to exogenous agents varies depending on the genetic
background. In order to understand these complex phenomena a combined
scientific approach is needed, one which includes physics, chemistry,
veterinarian and agrarian sciences, biology and clinical medicine. In
the University of Pisa there is an excellent combination of
specialized scientific areas of expertise with highly developed
technologies, which are qualified to perform a study of this kind
through the establishment of a Center with the following objectives:
improvement of the current knowledge on the effects of known exogenous
agents on nervous and endocrine systems, with particular regard to the
evaluation of the relation between physical, chemical and biological
properties of exogenous agents and the mechanisms of molecular and
cellular damage in human and animal organisms; identification of new,
potentially harmful agents; development of a research and information
network aimed at interacting with national and international centers,
both public and private, actively involved in this field, either
scientifically or in the industrial production; delivery of the
information through world wide web network; support to companies for
the development of new technologies.
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