Dr. Ekuban’s research program investigates environmental pollutants as disease-modifying factors in liver diseases, particularly alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD). His work emphasizes:

• Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as endocrine-disrupting and metabolism-disrupting chemicals
• Interactions between environmental exposures and alcohol consumption
• Molecular mechanisms of toxicity
• Nuclear receptor signaling (e.g., PPARα, CAR, PXR) in metabolic and toxicant-induced liver injury
• Species-specific and translational mechanisms using wild-type, knockout, and humanized mouse models
• Identification of biomarkers of susceptibility and mechanistic targets for intervention

His current research integrates human exposomic analyses with reverse-translational animal and cellular models to inform precision environmental health and prevention strategies.