Dr. Alok Deoraj has extensive teaching, research and management experience in academic and industry settings. The overarching goal of his research is to measure the influence of complex environmental exposures and microbiome on the etiology of cancer, chronic diseases and neurodegenerative disorders.

Findings in the potential adverse effects of environmental endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) have increased both scientific and environmental public health concerns regarding environmental pollutants and use of pesticides, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals. Their complex exposure and effect on neuroendocrine regulation can affect the timing of the onset of puberty/adolescence as risk factors for reproductive aging and cancers of endocrine origin, including, ovarian, endometrial and breast cancer. Elucidation at the neuroendocrine level of complex environmental exposures on gene and environment interactions and its association with disease etiology will help develop environmental and epigenetic biomarkers of reproductive aging, cancer, chronic and neurodegenerative diseases.

His research focuses on the microbiome and complex environmental exposure influence on upstream regulation (e.g., via Kisseptin, GABA and other neuropeptides) of Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone-II (GnRH-II) release and cellular signaling on its downstream role on the timing of the onset of the puberty/adolescence. This will be achieved by a combination of metanalysis of candidate biomarkers and their further validation in cell culture, animal and in human studies. This research may lead to complex mixture exposure assessment biomarkers in relation to “exposome”, environmental and epigenetic biomarkers of reproductive aging and impairment and theranostic candidate(s) of gene and environment interactions in the complex diseases etiology.