Marma-Detox
![[Image: Taken on a campaign for biopsies from sperm whales, humpbacks and pilot whales outside Andenes in Northern Norway based on R/V Helmer Hansen. Credit: Sofie Søderstrøm]](https://obon-ocean.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Helmer-Hansen-and-sperm-whale-biopsy-taking-Sofie.002-e1760011202241-1024x382.png)
[Image: Taken on a campaign for biopsies from sperm whales, humpbacks and pilot whales outside Andenes in Northern Norway based on R/V Helmer Hansen. Credit: Sofie Søderstrøm]
Whales and polar bears in a petri dish: decoding marine mammal toxicology through in vitro and in silico approaches
Large marine mammals, including polar bears and whales, fill important niches as mid or top predators in marine food chains. Their high energy intake is often accompanied with elevated levels of contaminants having bioaccumulating and biomagnifying properties.
Although receiving a lot of public attention, the massive hunting of large marine mammals over the last centuries turned these into threatened, rare, and, as a result, poorly studied animals. Further research investigating the individual and collective consequences of contaminant exposure is needed and would help to better understand effects of contaminants on population dynamics and help the resurgence of these large and important animals. To date, only a handful of studies have given mechanistic insights in contaminant response in marine mammals.
Over the last couple of years, we have established alternative approaches to overcome these hurdles through a unique collaboration between marine mammal scientists, environmental chemists, bioinformaticians, and molecular toxicologists. In this project we want to exploit our position at the leading edge of this research to go deeper and wider into the field of marine mammal toxicology.
Furthermore, we want to communicate scientific knowledge about the threats of anthropogenic stressors, with a focus on environmental pollution, to marine mammals to the public and to stakeholders via existing communication platforms (web, social media, conferences, press) and displays at relevant museums and science centers.
Lead Institute
Collaborating institutes
Project period
9 January, 2023 – 31 December, 2027