In 2017, the CDC reported 2.3 million new cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the United States. A. Fauci, MD, Director of the NIAID, addressed this growing health crisis in a perspective piece in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, highlighting the need for innovative research for diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines to address the rising … Continued

In a new piece written for the website The Conversation, Ilona Jaspers, PhD, speaks to the recent rise in cases of vaping-associated lung injury–and why vaping should not be considered a safe alternative to cigarettes. Dr. Jaspers, an inhalation toxicologist, studies how pollutants, inhaled chemicals and other particles affect human health. “When e-cigarettes first came to … Continued

Young adults often monitor their health with wearable devices, which could also be used to improve their ability to detect worsening asthma symptoms. UNC-Chapel Hill and NCSU researchers, including Michelle Hernandez, MD, and Delesha Carpenter, PhD, MSPH, have been awarded an NSF grant to study early asthma exacerbation detection through wearables developed by NCSU. Hernandez … Continued

People allergic to peanuts may have a new way to protect themselves from severe allergic reactions to accidental peanut exposure. It’s called sublingual immunotherapy – or SLIT – and it involves putting a minuscule amount of liquefied peanut protein under the tongue, where it is absorbed immediately into the blood stream to desensitize the immune … Continued

The Center for Environmental Health and Susceptibility is hosting a symposium to highlight current research on emerging issues that advance understanding about how pollutants and other environmental exposures affect public health and health inequities. The symposium will feature the work of several UNC researchers recently funded through CEHS pilot project awards. The event will also … Continued

Activities Update: Happy summer! We will be taking the month of July off from our seminar series, but will resume our regular schedule in August. Our speakers for the rest of 2019 have been lined up and are listed below, but you can also check out more information about our upcoming seminars here. August 13: … Continued

In addition to our regular CRI Activities Update, this month’s Research Focus highlights the research and work of Thomas Alexander, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, and Co-Director of the Pediatric Oncology Developmental Therapeutics and Pharmacology Program Activities Update: Congratulations to Toni Darville, MD, for her recent award from the National Institute of Allergy … Continued

Reminder: The Children’s Research Institute and the Center for Environmental Health and Susceptibility will be cohosting this month’s luncheon seminar on Tuesday, May 14, from 12:15-1:30pm in Bioinformatics 1131. Michael O’Shea, MD, MPH and Rebecca Fry, PhD, will be presenting “Epigenetics, Neurodevelopment and Health of Children Born Extremely Preterm.” You can read more about collaborative … Continued

UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health is excited to initiate a new annual translational nutrition science conference, the Interdisciplinary Nutrition Sciences Symposium. This year’s symposium will be held July 24-25, 2019 in Chapel Hill and the theme will be “Synergizing Animal and Human Obesity Research.” This is a new translational nutrition science conference that … Continued

A new cross-sectional cohort study has found that mucus build-up and not infections can trigger cystic fibrosis (CF) lung damage. Investigators believe their research suggests doctors might be able to delay the onset of lung disease in young children born with CF and possibly allow them to live significantly longer if they are able to … Continued