The conference was held September 19-20 at the University Club.
John Villandre was awarded the Best Abstract Award for his poster presentation, "Electronic Cigarettes Exaggerate Influenza A Virus-Induced Cell Death in Alveolar Epithelial Cells." Electronic-cigarette (EC) use is growing in the U.S., particularly among young adults, raising concerns about lung health. Unlike traditional cigarettes, EC particles reach deeper into the lungs, which may impact how the body responds to respiratory infections like influenza A virus (IAV). The findings suggest that EC use may sensitize the lungs to viral infections by affecting immune-related protein modifications, prompting further investigation into its impact on lung inflammation and barrier function. Villandre is a second-year PhD student mentored by John Evankovich.
Vivien Lyu had her abstract selected for a poster presentation entitled "Early-life Exposure to Inorganic Arsenic Primes the Offspring to Increased Airway Hyperresponsiveness Through the Epigenetic Modifications of Transcriptome." Inorganic arsenic (iAs) exposure through drinking water affects over 200 million people globally and poses a significant risk to child health, especially in communities with limited resources. Lyu employed an experimental mouse asthma model and demonstrated that offspring exposed to iAs during pregnancy showed decreased birth weight, increased airway hyperresponsiveness, and gene expression changes linked to inflammation. The findings question that exposure to arsenic in drinking water during pregnancy may make children more susceptible to inflammatory responses, increasing their risk of developing respiratory issues like asthma later in life. Lyu is a second-year PhD student mentored by Winnie Wan-yee Tang.