B
arry W. Wilson
B.A., Lib Arts, University of Chicago, Chicago, ILL, 1950.
B.S. , Biology, Ill. Inst. Technology, Chicago, ILL, 1957.
M.S., Biology, Ill. Inst. of Technology, Chicago Ill 1957.
Ph.D., Zoology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 1962.
Barry Wilson was trained as a zoologist and general physiologist. He is interested in growth and neuromuscle development and over the years he has become more and more interested in chemicals that affect development and the nervous system. So much so that he has an appointment in both the Departments of Animal Science and Environmental Toxicology.Currently he is studying organophosphorus agents such as pesticides using experimental animals (chickens, quail, mice, fish) and humans. His research applies to agriculture, ecotoxicology and public health. In addition Wilson has been working with Dr Bill Lasley, UCD Vet Med. on biomarkers of reproductive state, specifically on antibodies to fecal testosterone to study the reproductive state of wild mice and birds. Specialties of Wilson's laboratory include: birds, neuromuscle defects and toxicology; cell and tissue culture growth, fundamental and applied research on acetylcholinesterase (AChE), one of the enzymes that regulates neural transmission and that is blocked by pesticides and several chemical warfare agents.
Current projects include studies of runoff of agricultural chemicals as part of a CalFed project team, multiple chemical exposures and the Gulf War, standardizing blood cholinesterase assays to monitor pesticide exposures in humans and fish, effects of pesticides on growth of embryo muscle and nerve cells, and pesticides and reproduction of mice and birds. He has been fortunate to work with colleagues that permit his studying from tree to sea, from molecule to ecosystem.
The long term goals of his studies are to sustain agriculture without damaging the environment, and to understand and preserve human and ecosystem health. Wilson's research has been supported by agricultural commodity groups, CalFed, California EPA, the NIH, US EPA and Department of Defense and, in the past, the Muscular Dystrophy Association of America.
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