UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Jeffrey Peters, associate professor of environmental toxicology in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, has received the 2007 Alex and Jessie C. Black Award for Excellence in Research.

The honor, which includes a $1,000 cash award and a plaque, recognizes significant accomplishments in agricultural research at Penn State.

Peters' research focuses on the role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors, or PPARs, in cell metabolism and gene expression. He was the first to show that the absence of a particular receptor, known as PPAR beta, exacerbates the development of chemically induced skin cancer in mice. Similarly, he found that the absence of PPAR-beta expression in the colon exacerbates carcinogenesis in response to either chemicals or genetic mutations. He also was first to demonstrate that activation of this receptor inhibits chemically induced skin cancer.

These studies also led to the discovery that PPAR beta plays a critical role in preventing liver toxicity. Together, the results of Peters' research could lead to the development of new drugs that can be used in the prevention and treatment of cancer and other diseases.

"Jeff Peters is a brilliant molecular toxicologist who has shown a deep commitment to working on problems related to nuclear receptors and their role in various cancers, including colon cancer, skin cancer and liver cancer," said Gary Perdew, interim head of the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, in nominating Peters for the award.

"It is clear that a major field is emerging that combines the resources of cancer researchers and molecular toxicologists to advance the understanding of environmental pollutants and gene interaction," Perdew said. "Jeff, in my opinion, is a major leader in this new enterprise. He is clearly one of the world leaders in his field."

Bruce McPheron, the college's associate dean for research and graduate education, says Peters' work is not only at the cutting edge of his field, but it also has great relevance to public health issues. "Because of his scientific expertise, he has served on a number of national committees that have sought to determine the impact of various chemicals in the environment on human health," he says. "This connection of the lab bench to the real world is at the heart of the land-grant university mission."

Peters joined the Penn State faculty in 2000 after spending four years as a post-doctoral fellow in the Laboratory of Molecular Carcinogenesis and the Laboratory of Metabolism at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md. From 1992 to 1995, he was a post-doctoral fellow in the Institute of Toxicology and Environmental Health and in the Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy at the University of California at Davis.

Peters has published more than 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals -- averaging about a dozen publications per year since coming to Penn State -- and has secured external grants exceeding $4 million, primarily from the National Institutes of Health.

Peters received his bachelor's degree in dietetics and his doctorate in nutrition science, both from the University of California at Davis.

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EDITORS: Jeffrey Peters can be reached at 814-863-1387 or by e-mail at jmp21@psu.edu.

Chuck Gill 814-863-2713 cdg5@psu.edu