The mission of the multidisciplinary North Carolina Center for Coastal Algae, People, and Environment (NC C-CAPE) is to deliver novel insight and understanding of emergent and future, climate-driven human health risks related to cyanobacterial algal blooms and microcystins in shallow, estuarine environments.

Examining Linkages among Microcystins, Shellfish Contamination, and Toxin Transfer in Oysters and Blue Crabs across a Coastal North Carolina Sound

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) can produce cyanobacterial toxins that contaminate shellfish consumed by humans, creating a risk of hepatotoxic shellfish poisoning. To address this, researchers are characterizing environmental conditions contributing to increased cyanobacterial production in the Pamlico Sound, quantifying microcystin (MC) contamination in shellfish (oysters, blue crab), and characterizing temperature-dependent kinetics of MC transfer and detoxification in oysters and blue crabs.

Human Epidemiologic and Toxicity Assessment of Microcystin Mixture Effects on Hepatic Disease and Cancer

The goal of this project is to assess the toxicity of microcystins alone and in combination with other environmental contaminants along with their impacts on liver toxicity and disease. Leveraging the Southern Liver Health Study, rodent models of hepatocellular carcinoma, and cell culture, researchers are assessing the contribution of exposure to MCs to development of hepatocellular carcinoma and fatty liver disease and clarifying mechanisms of liver toxicity due to chronic exposure to specific MC congeners alone and in combination with each other and PFAs.

Predicting Cyanotoxin Risks under Current and Future Climate along the Freshwater-to-Marine Continuum

The occurrence and dynamics of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in coastal systems is not well understood. In this project, researchers are developing a modeling framework to identify the main factors that drive toxin accumulation and predict environmental distribution and consequently human exposure and risk.

Community Engagement Core

The Center's Community Engagement Core (CEC) uses the principles of data justice, where community members are experts with the capacity to conduct critical and systemic inquiry into their own lived experiences, to address HAB exposure and prevention. The CEC will work with community partners to guide efforts to implement effective monitoring approaches for microcystins, inform guideline values for safe consumption of water and seafood, deliver predictive tools to assess emergent and future toxin exposure risk, and will leverage community engagement initiatives to fill data gaps to improve oceans and human health.