Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University

Our mission is to determine the function and role of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) and phytochemicals (chemicals from plants) in promoting optimum health and preventing and treating disease; to determine the role of oxidative and nitrative stress and antioxidants in human health and disease; and to help people everywhere achieve a healthy and productive life, full of vitality, with minimal suffering, and free of cancer and other debilitating diseases. Major areas of research in the Institute encompass heart disease, cancer, aging, and neurodegenerative diseases. Specific laboratories address antioxidants and vascular biology; vitamin E metabolism and biological activity; colon cancer and cancer chemoprevention by phytochemicals; the role of nitric oxide and oxidative stress in neurodegenerative diseases, such as ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease); and the role of oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in the aging process.