SOT Past President Curt Klaassen, PhD, DABT, ATS, shares his career-spanning search of the answer to “How do we adapt to chemicals?” He covers the emergence of the field of toxicology to present discoveries. The lecture culminates with the major discovery of the Nrf2 pathway’s critical importance to toxicology, its modulation by plant-based compounds, its interactions with numerous genes and its potential as a therapeutic target.





 

Curtis D. Klaassen Biography

Curtis D. Klaassen, PhD, DABT, ATS, was a Distinguished Professor at the University of Kansas Medical Center and was instrumental in establishing his department as one of the top departments for research and training in toxicology in the world. Dr. Klaassen’s research interests have centered on how we adapt to chemicals in the environment. His studies have included the hepatobiliary disposition of xenobiotics, the toxicity of cadmium, the hepatotoxicity of chemicals, and mechanisms of chemical-induced thyroid tumors. Dr. Klaassen is editor of Casarett and Doull’s Toxicology: The Basic Science of Poisons, considered the premier textbook in the field. He has twice been named a “Highly Cited Researcher” (2002, 2007) by the Institute for Scientific Information, a designation held by less than one half of one percent of all researchers. He has been elected to 27 different positions in professional organizations, including President of SOT from 1990–1991 and President of IUTOX 1992–1995. An SOT member since 1969, his Society recognition includes the Achievement Award, Merit Award, Education Award, the Burroughs Welcome Toxicology Scholar Award, the Women in Toxicology Mentoring Award, and numerous Regional Chapter and Specialty Section awards.