Much of the work carried out by DTT is in support of the National Toxicology Program (NTP), an interagency partnership of the Food and Drug Administration, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and NIEHS.
Mechanistic Toxicology Branch
Erik Tokar, Ph.D., leads the Stem Cell Toxicology Group in the Mechanistic Toxicology Branch, Division of Translational Toxicology (DTT). His group’s current research involves developing pluripotent stem cell-based models to examinein vitro mechanisms of developmental toxicology. The group also developsin vitro models of carcinogenesis which are used to investigate the roles and mechanisms of possible or known environmental human carcinogens.
Tokar obtained his Bachelor of Science in biology from University of Michigan, followed by a Ph.D. in cancer biology from Michigan State University. He did postdoctoral fellowship with NCI at NIEHS before starting his current position at DTT.
Recent Publications
- Silver B, Fannin R, Gerrish K, Tokar E. Characterization of extracellular vesicles and miRNA released by cerebral organoids.Current research in toxicology. 2025;8:100229. [ AbstractSilver B, Fannin R, Gerrish K, Tokar E. Characterization of extracellular vesicles and miRNA released by cerebral organoids. Current research in toxicology. 2025]
- Chapman L, Hall M, Foster A, Baird D, Harmon Q, Wright R, Landero J, Heffron R, Wise L, Wegienka G, Geller R, Wesselink A, Schildroth S, Hall J, Tokar E, Upson K. Estrogen-containing contraceptive use and blood lead concentrations in a cohort of premenopausal individuals.Environmental research. 2025 Dec 01;286(Pt 3):122935. [ AbstractChapman L, Hall M, Foster A, Baird D, Harmon Q, Wright R, Landero J, Heffron R, Wise L, Wegienka G, Geller R, Wesselink A, Schildroth S, Hall J, Tokar E, Upson K. Estrogen-containing contraceptive use and blood lead concentrations in a cohort of premenopausal individuals. Environmental research. 2025 Dec 01]
- Pacheco-Castillo N, Gómez-Montalvo J, Olivares-Illana V, Recillas-Targa F, Tokar E, Avendaño-Vázquez S, Escudero-Lourdes C. Inorganic Arsenic Induces Elevated p53 Levels with Altered Functionality Impacting the Expression of Toll-like Receptor 3 and Other Target Genes in Immortalized Prostate Epithelial Cells.International journal of molecular sciences. 2025 Apr 29;26(9):. [ AbstractPacheco-Castillo N, Gómez-Montalvo J, Olivares-Illana V, Recillas-Targa F, Tokar E, Avendaño-Vázquez S, Escudero-Lourdes C. Inorganic Arsenic Induces Elevated p53 Levels with Altered Functionality Impacting the Expression of Toll-like Receptor 3 and Other Target Genes in Immortalized Prostate Epithelial Cells. International journal of molecular sciences. 2025 Apr 29]
- Wu X, Kreutz A, Dixon D, Tokar E. Engineering human cerebral organoids to explore mechanisms of arsenic-induced developmental neurotoxicity.Toxicology and applied pharmacology. 2025 Mar;496:117230. [ AbstractWu X, Kreutz A, Dixon D, Tokar E. Engineering human cerebral organoids to explore mechanisms of arsenic-induced developmental neurotoxicity. Toxicology and applied pharmacology. 2025 Mar]
- Silver B, Brooks A, Gerrish K, Tokar E. Isolation and Characterization of Cell-Free DNA from Cerebral Organoids.International journal of molecular sciences. 2024 May 18;25(10):. [ AbstractSilver B, Brooks A, Gerrish K, Tokar E. Isolation and Characterization of Cell-Free DNA from Cerebral Organoids. International journal of molecular sciences. 2024 May 18]
NTP Reports
- National Toxicology Program. NTP Research Report on Synthetic Turf/Recycled Tire Crumb Rubber: Characterization of the Biological Activity of Crumb Rubber In Vitro: Research Report 12NTP Research Reports. 2019 Jul [Epub ahead of print]. [ AbstractNational Toxicology Program. NTP Research Report on Synthetic Turf/Recycled Tire Crumb Rubber: Characterization of the Biological Activity of Crumb Rubber In Vitro: Research Report 12 NTP Research Reports. 2019 Jul]