CORE--CARDIORESPIRATORY SUSCEPTIBILITY

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Description: The 0-5 year Respiratory Susceptibility Core has been renamed the Cardiorespiratory Susceptibility Core to reflect a changing emphasis on the research group, undoubtedly influenced by the Particulate Air Pollution and Health proposal, recently submitted and reported to be funded by the EPA, which includes almost all core researchers (8 senior members, 8 associate members). The goal of the latter $8.3M EPA proposal is to study the effects of particulates on susceptible populations, the focus being on both the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. The EPA Group will be organized into three resource cores: Health, Exposure, and Biostatistics, and several research cores emphasizing studies of particulate exposure, dosimetry, and research cores emphasizing studies of particular exposure, dosimetry, and modeling, with strong epidemiological components. Some toxicological components will use transgenic mouse strains and an innovative risk assessment/management component. Some emphasis is given to the EPA proposal because it will strongly impact the overall research resources and expertise available to the Cardiorespiratory Core. The Core itself includes research activities focused on antioxidant modulations of ozone airway responses, polymorphism studies relevant to allergic asthma, mouse asthma models, cell models to study effects of ozone on inflammatory mediator and possible free radical related pathways, transgenic mouse models of cardiovascular disease, and epidemiologic studies of air pollution health effects. To a large degree the research activities of the group are determined by the successes of the group members in the grants arena.