Rance Nault Brings His Love of Research to a Department He Knows Well

By Chuck Carlson

Assistant Professor Rance Nault is a familiar face in the Michigan State University Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, having worked for more than a decade at MSU as a researcher after earning his Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology and environmental and integrative toxicology in 2011.

“And I enjoyed the work so much I just never left,” he said. “Up until a couple of weeks ago, I was playing more of a support role for research.”

But that changed recently when he became a full-fledged faculty member with a research specialty in chemical and environmental toxicology. Armed with access to all the research, equipment and know-how that he was already familiar with, he can continue the research that has captivated him since he was an undergraduate at the University of Ottawa.

“I sort of fell in love with research,” he said. “I enjoyed the ability to ask questions, find the tools that let you answer them, and then apply those answers, and I’ve never stopped learning since then.”

His early research interest focused on liver toxicology and, even more specifically, fish liver toxicology, an area of interest borne of his earliest research work in his native Canada.

From there, his interest grew and evolved, and Michigan State played a defining role in that.

“There were two things I was really looking for once I finished my Masters,” he said. “The first was I wanted to go into something more human health related, and the second was I wanted to do something using what we call ‘big data’ types of approaches. At the time Michigan State University was one of the few places with labs using big data in toxicology.”

For Nault, big data is the starting point for finding patterns for why contaminants and chemicals act the way they do in the body.

“The issue is how do we direct our next questions to really understanding what these chemicals are doing and then doing the research and asking the questions and doing the testing to see what the next step is,” he said. “You want to see results because that’s what all scientists want. You want to help people and help situations move forward. So, my hope is to really understand how these chemicals cause health effects in humans because I think understanding is the first step to solving problems.”

He points to the growing human health issues of fatty liver disease and Type 2 diabetes. The more we learn about these conditions the more we understand that they are not only due to poor diets. Understanding the other causes of these diseases is a major part of his research.

“There’s more and more evidence that the chemicals that are in the environment are also promoting some of these disorders,” he said. “So, can we figure out how these are doing it, and can this give us guidance on how we might be able to address these problems? That’s one of the big goals.”

And, as always, it’s the research that draws Nault. Asking questions, finding the answers, and implementing those answers to help solve a problem.

“I think what I do is pretty exciting,” he said, adding that he hopes moving forward that his research combined with future teaching opportunities will offer breakthroughs to improve human health.

“Research is really exciting and it’s great,” he said. “But I think we can make a huge impact by mentoring that next generation of scientists.”