Dr. Lawrence's expertise is in the disciplines of immunology and toxicology. Studying whether chemicals (e.g., pollutants, pharmaceuticals) affect the way the immune system works is the primary area of her expertise. The immune system is the part of our body that helps us fight infections and detect and destroy tumor cells before cancer gets a chance to take hold. There is growing evidence that many chemicals that are found in the environment adversely impact the development and function of the immune system. In contrast to pollutants, which we generally perceive as 'bad' chemicals, some pharmaceuticals are used to deliberately modulate the immune system in order to treat a disease. Studying how these drugs carry out their function gives us a lot of insight into how chemicals (good ones and bad ones) affect the development and function of the immune system.
