Research Areas
- Environmental and Social Exposures that Contribute to Pulmonary Exacerbations as a Health Disparity
- Alcohol and cannabis
- E-cigarettes
- Particulate matter from air pollution
- Microplastics
- Aerosolized PFAS
Scientific Achievements
- Exposure studies that evaluate mechanisms of alcohol and cannabinoid single and dual use on lung health and pulmonary inflammation
- Screening of e-cigarettes for components associated with increased toxicity
- Collection and evaluation of PM2.5 within communities with increased asthma exacerbation
Funding
RCMI Funding
- Pilot Project from Previous RCMI Grant, IDC Lead
Other Funding
- 1SC2GM144188 (Sivaraman, PI)
- 1RH16HL178696 (Onyenwoke, PI)
Scientific Advance
Parker D, Sivaraman V. Cannabinoids and Alcohol Co-Exposure Modulate Pathogen-Induced Pulmonary Immune Responses. Front Immunol. 2025 Jul 7;16:1539813. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1539813. eCollection 2025. PMID: 40692779.
Parker D, Muhkopadyay S, Sivaraman V. Alcohol Activates Cannabinoid Receptors 1 and 2 in a Model of Pathogen-Induced Pulmonary Inflammation. Toxicol Lett. 2024 Nov;401:24-34. doi: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2024.08.012. Epub 2024 Sep 7. PMID: 39251147.
Walker-Franklin I, Onyenwoke RU, Leung TC, Huang X, Shipman JG, Kovach A, Sivaraman V. GC/HRMS Analysis of E-Liquids Complements In Vivo Modeling Methods and can Help to Predict Toxicity. ACS Omega. 2024;9(24):26641-26650. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.4c03416.
Richey MR, Bang J, Sivaraman V. Targeting disparate spaces: new technology and old tools. Frontiers in Public Health. 2024 Apr 23;12:1366179. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1366179.
Project 1: Adolescent binge drinking was found to contribute to worsened lung outcomes when challenged with a pulmonary infection. This was shown to occur through pathways similar to those activated by cannabis in the lung. Therapeutic interventions are being investigated to reduce inflammation.
Project 2: E-cigarette liquids have been shown to produce different toxins when vaped. We showed that vaping exacerbates pulmonary diseases such as pneumonia and COVID.
Project 3: Asthma disparities in Durham, NC, may be associated with particulate matter found in the air at the local level. We have further characterized differences in particulate matter levels and the elements present within the samples.
This work was supported in part by grants from NIGMS (1SC2GM144188-01), RCMI-U54 RCHDR (1U54MD012392) from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), the NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI; 1R16HL178696-01), and the Center for Human Health and the Environment (CHHE; P30ES025128) from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
