Project Leader: Adelaide Tovar

Ambient ozone is an air pollutant associated with a range of health effects including oxidative stress, decrements in lung function, heightened susceptibility to respiratory infections, and exacerbation of existing lung disease. My work aims to identify genes and regulatory networks that contribute to inter-individual variation in susceptibility to ozone-associated pathologies. Specifically, I’m interested in studying variation in transcriptional and immunological responses of murine alveolar macrophages after acute ozone exposure. By using in vitro and in vivo approaches, including work with the Collaborative Cross genetic reference population, I plan to probe the transcriptional circuitry that underlies these responses to inform the development of an integrative model of response to ozone exposure.