Gunnar Boysen

Gunnar Boysen, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), affiliated with the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health and the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health. His research focuses on understanding how chemical exposures interact with nutritional and lifestyle factors to influence health outcomes, particularly through DNA/protein adducts and metabolomics approaches.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Chemistry (2002), University of Kaiserslautern (Germany) and University of Minnesota Cancer Center
• M.S. in Biology (1996), University of Kaiserslautern and German Cancer Research Center
• Postdoctoral Fellow (2005), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Research Interests: Dr. Boysen investigates metabolic reprogramming in cancer metastases, carcinogen metabolism pathways, and exposure biomarkers using advanced mass spectrometry. Key themes include:

• Chemical exposure effects on diet/physical activity
• Glutathione synthesis and radiation sensitivity
• Nanopore sequencing for DNA/RNA modifications
• Environmental toxin health impacts (e.g., 1,3-butadiene)

Key Contributions: His work bridges toxicology and precision medicine, with notable studies on glutaminase inhibitors for cancer treatment (e.g., CB-839), biomarker development for butadiene exposure, and mechanistic insights into styrene/CYP2E1 interactions.

Teaching: Teaches courses in environmental exposure assessment, toxicology, and occupational health.

Lab/Teams: Leads research on metabolomic profiling of lung tumors, drug bioactivation studies, and environmental health risk assessment methodologies.