{"id":78,"date":"2009-02-09T17:10:00","date_gmt":"2009-02-09T22:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/med.sites.unc.edu\/cemalb\/directors-statment\/"},"modified":"2025-02-09T11:23:18","modified_gmt":"2025-02-09T16:23:18","slug":"directors-statment","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/about-the-center\/directors-statment\/","title":{"rendered":"Director’s Statement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"
\nNeil Alexis, PhD<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

For over 25 years, the Center has enjoyed a highly productive partnership with the US EPA, and our collaborative studies have shown that changes in oxidative stress, inflammation, and cardiovascular markers contribute to the responses induced by pollutant exposures. This research has been used to support and revise the National Ambient Air Quality Standards outlined in the Clean Air Act.<\/p>\n

Current research areas include examining the effects of inhaled toxicants on respiratory immunity and host defense, as the respiratory tract is particularly susceptible to health effects caused by concurrent exposures to inhaled contaminants and pathogens. We are particularly interested in how pre-existing respiratory diseases (asthma, allergic rhinitis, COPD) are impacted by environmental agents and how factors, such as obesity, biological sex, and age affect the severity of pollutant-induced effects.<\/p>\n

In addition to providing data to clarify the risk of exposure to air pollutants for regulatory efforts, we are undertaking studies of genetic and epigenetic regulators of pollutant response, and chemoprevention and pharmacologic intervention to prevent adverse responses to pollutants. CEMALB investigators have developed phase I and IIa programs focused on sulforaphane, gamma tocopherol, IL-1 receptor antagonist (anakinra), corticosteroids, and hypertonic saline as potential interventions to mitigate the effect of pollutants on airway inflammation.<\/p>\n

Research Areas<\/h2>\n

More recently, we have moved into studies of the effect of pollution on airway infection, which is a primary health concern, and an important cause of exacerbations of asthma and other lung diseases. More recent observations have shown that systemic responses to inhaled pollutants are also important, as pollutants have been shown to cause cardiovascular effects. In addition to providing data to clarify the risk of exposure to air pollutants for regulatory efforts, we are undertaking studies of genetic and epigenetic regulators of pollutant response, and chemoprevention and pharmacologic intervention to prevent adverse responses to pollutants. CEMALB investigators, in conjunction with EPA investigators, have developed phase I and IIa programs focused on sulforaphane, gamma tocopherol, IL-1 receptor antagonist (anakinra), corticosteroids, and hypertonic saline as potential interventions to mitigate the effect of pollutants on airway inflammation.<\/p>\n

Research Partners<\/h2>\n

We have collaborated with a number of researchers across the UNC system. Investigators from a variety of departments in the Schools of Medicine, Public Health, Nursing, Pharmacy, and the College or Arts and Sciences have been involved in CEMALB activities. This includes our long-time collaborations with investigators from the Marsico Lung Institute<\/a> focused on a variety of topics, including COPD, military burn pit exposures, and research related to other lung diseases. A more recent partner in the CEMALB\u2019s research efforts, particularly related to the effects of inhaled toxicants on pediatric lung diseases, is the Children\u2019s Research Institute<\/a>. In the Gillings School of Public Health, we have partnered with the Center for Environmental Health and Susceptibility<\/a>, the UNC Superfund Research Program<\/a>, and the Institute for Environmental Health Solutions<\/a>. Finally, we work regularly with the Institute for the Environment<\/a> to communicate our research to the general public, lawmakers, and other community stakeholders. Collectively, these partnerships emphasize the integrated and trans-disciplinary approach to recognize environmental health effects, identify susceptible populations, develop potential solutions, and communicate this knowledge with relevant stakeholders.<\/p>\n

Training Opportunities<\/h2>\n

We are also the home of the UNC Curriculum in Toxicology (the UNC PhD granting program in toxicology) and have projects with graduate students from Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Microbiology and Immunology and Biostatistics, as well as clinical trainees in Allergy\/Immunology, Pulmonology and Surgery. We have faculty from the Departments of Pediatrics, Medicine, Surgery, Microbiology\/Immunology and Genetics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Neil Alexis, PhD For over 25 years, the Center has enjoyed a highly productive partnership with the US EPA, and our collaborative studies have shown that changes in oxidative stress, inflammation, and cardiovascular markers contribute to the responses induced by pollutant exposures. This research has been used to support and revise the National Ambient Air … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":315,"featured_media":0,"parent":58,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-78","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","odd"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDirector's Statement | Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma and Lung Biology<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/about-the-center\/directors-statment\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Director's Statement | Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma and Lung Biology\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Neil Alexis, PhD For over 25 years, the Center has enjoyed a highly productive partnership with the US EPA, and our collaborative studies have shown that changes in oxidative stress, inflammation, and cardiovascular markers contribute to the responses induced by pollutant exposures. This research has been used to support and revise the National Ambient Air … Read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/about-the-center\/directors-statment\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma and Lung Biology\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CEMALBUNC\/?view_public_for=770468546678482\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-02-09T16:23:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2025\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-02-09-at-11.19.38-scaled.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@CemalbUnc\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/about-the-center\/directors-statment\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/about-the-center\/directors-statment\/\",\"name\":\"Director's Statement | Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma and Lung Biology\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/about-the-center\/directors-statment\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/about-the-center\/directors-statment\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2025\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-02-09-at-11.19.38-1800x2400.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2009-02-09T22:10:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-09T16:23:18+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/about-the-center\/directors-statment\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/about-the-center\/directors-statment\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/about-the-center\/directors-statment\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2025\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-02-09-at-11.19.38-scaled.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2025\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-02-09-at-11.19.38-scaled.jpeg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":2560},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/about-the-center\/directors-statment\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"About the Center\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/about-the-center\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Director’s Statement\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/\",\"name\":\"Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma and Lung Biology\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Director's Statement | Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma and Lung Biology","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/about-the-center\/directors-statment\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Director's Statement | Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma and Lung Biology","og_description":"Neil Alexis, PhD For over 25 years, the Center has enjoyed a highly productive partnership with the US EPA, and our collaborative studies have shown that changes in oxidative stress, inflammation, and cardiovascular markers contribute to the responses induced by pollutant exposures. This research has been used to support and revise the National Ambient Air … Read more","og_url":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/about-the-center\/directors-statment\/","og_site_name":"Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma and Lung Biology","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CEMALBUNC\/?view_public_for=770468546678482","article_modified_time":"2025-02-09T16:23:18+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":2560,"url":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2025\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-02-09-at-11.19.38-scaled.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@CemalbUnc","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/about-the-center\/directors-statment\/","url":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/about-the-center\/directors-statment\/","name":"Director's Statement | Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma and Lung Biology","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/about-the-center\/directors-statment\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/about-the-center\/directors-statment\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2025\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-02-09-at-11.19.38-1800x2400.jpeg","datePublished":"2009-02-09T22:10:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-02-09T16:23:18+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/about-the-center\/directors-statment\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/about-the-center\/directors-statment\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/about-the-center\/directors-statment\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2025\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-02-09-at-11.19.38-scaled.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2025\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-02-09-at-11.19.38-scaled.jpeg","width":1920,"height":2560},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/about-the-center\/directors-statment\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"About the Center","item":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/about-the-center\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Director’s Statement"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/","name":"Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma and Lung Biology","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links_to":[],"_links_to_target":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/78","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/315"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/78\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/58"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/cemalb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}