About This Project

The project is focused on the impact of worldwide pesticides (like glyphosate) on human health, particularly on the immune system. First, the immune system is crucial not only to prevent infections but to control tumor development. Second, evidence suggests that people exposed to pesticides are more likely to develop cancer. By performing experiments with isolated human cells we will study if pesticides are affecting the human immune system's ability to attack tumors.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

In Argentina, the use of pesticides is increasing each year, reaching more than 240 tons in 2021 . Far from being a national issue, the food industry in the US is also heavily dependent on pesticide application. In 2021, the US applied 460 tons of pesticides. Moreover, as Argentina is the main exporter of soy beans (loaded with pesticides) for animal feed, europeans and asians are also exposed to these chemicals in their food. It has been recently shown that glyphosate is present in the urine of 85% and 35% of Argentineans and Europeans, respectively. Worryingly, it is becoming clear that pesticide exposure is associated with cancer.

What is the significance of this project?

People are exposed to pesticides through the air, drinking water and food. Hence, many of these compounds have been detected simultaneously in the body of not only farmers but also urban citizens in Europe, the US, and Argentina. Of note, children and pregnant women are at a higher risk. Little is known about the effects of pesticides on human health and even less about the impact of pesticide mixtures. Notably, general population in Europe and Argentina have between 6 to 10 different pesticides in their urine. Since the immune system is crucial in preventing cancer, studying pesticide combinations is a valuable way to fully understand how harmful pesticides are.

What are the goals of the project?

Our hypothesis is that low doses of pesticides impair the ability of immune cells to target and eliminate tumor cells. To test this, we will isolate immune cells from the blood of healthy donors and expose them to individual pesticides and pesticide mixtures. We will then assess immune cell function and investigate the underlying mechanisms involved in these effects.

Specifically, we aim to determine whether pesticides such as glyphosate affect immune cell function through:

1. Oxidative stress

2. Cytoskeletal disruption

3. Metabolic alterations

We have already begun working on this approach and have obtained promising preliminary results that we are eager to share!