Zareen KhanPost doc
About me
I am a postdoctoral researcher at Stockholm University in the Exposure and Effects Unit.
My current research focuses on environmental DNA adductomics, where I develop and apply high-resolution LC-MS-based workflows to detect DNA modifications as biomarkers of genotoxic exposure. I’ve contributed to method innovations including dispersive solid-phase extraction (d-SPE) to enhance analytical sensitivity in complex biological matrices. My work on fish liver and amphipod samples from the Baltic Sea, under the Swedish National Marine Monitoring Program, has led to the identification of diverse genotoxic, epigenetic, and oxidative stress markers. My broader expertise spans food contaminants, metabolomics, and phytochemical profiling using both targeted and non-targeted omics approaches.
I obtained my PhD in Biochemistry from Pune University (India), where I applied advanced analytical methodologies and high-resolution mass spectrometry to study bioactive phytochemicals and their health-promoting properties in grapes and derived products. The thesis contributed to improving the understanding and knowledge about the occurrence, bioactivity, and health implications of phytochemicals, as well as advancing analytical approaches for their identification and quantification. It provided valuable insights into the nutritional and nutraceutical potential of grape-derived compounds, supporting their application in food and health sciences.
Some publications are listed below, but my career publications are most easily accessible on Google Scholar.
Teaching
During my postdoctoral research at Stockholm University, I contributed to teaching in the Master’s programme by delivering lectures on Toxicology for Environmental Scientists. My teaching focused specifically on ADME (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion) and biotransformation processes, providing students with a mechanistic understanding of how environmental contaminants interact with biological systems. These sessions emphasized the toxicokinetic behavior of pollutants and their implications for environmental health and risk assessment.
Publications
A selection from Stockholm University publication database
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Simultaneous RNA and DNA Adductomics Using Single Data-Independent Acquisition Mass Spectrometry Analysis
2023. Giulia Martella (et al.). Chemical Research in Toxicology 36 (9), 1471-1482
ArticleRead more about Simultaneous RNA and DNA Adductomics Using Single Data-Independent Acquisition Mass Spectrometry AnalysisAdductomics studies are used for the detection and characterizationof various chemical modifications (adducts) of nucleic acids and proteins.The advancements in liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolutiontandem mass spectrometry (HRMS/MS) have resulted in efficient methodsfor qualitative and quantitative adductomics. We developed an HRMS-basedmethod for the simultaneous analysis of RNA and DNA adducts in a singlerun and demonstrated its application using Baltic amphipods, usefulsentinels of environmental disturbances, as test organisms. The noveltyof this method is screening for RNA and DNA adducts by a single injectionon an Orbitrap HRMS instrument using full scan and data-independentacquisition. The MS raw files were processed with an open-source program, nLossFinder, to identify and distinguish RNA and DNA adductsbased on the characteristic neutral loss of ribonucleosides and 2 & PRIME;-deoxyribonucleosides,respectively. In the amphipods, in addition to the nearly 150 putativeDNA adducts characterized earlier, we detected 60 putative RNA adducts.For the structural identification of the detected RNA adducts, theMODOMICS database was used. The identified RNA adducts included simplemono- and dimethylation and other larger functional groups on differentribonucleosides and deaminated product inosine. However, 54 of theseRNA adducts are not yet structurally identified, and further workon their characterization may uncover new layers of information relatedto the transcriptome and help understand their biological significance.Considering the susceptibility of nucleic acids to environmental factors,including pollutants, the developed multi-adductomics methodologywith further advancement has the potential to provide biomarkers fordiagnostics of pollution effects in biota.
Show all publications by Zareen Khan at Stockholm University
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