This $213,284 federal Project Grant award from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) under the Environmental Health (CFDA 93.113) program will support research to investigate the role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in mediating the health effects of wildfire smoke exposure, particularly in individuals with asthma. The key objectives are to examine whether EV release and content associated with the hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) pathway differentiate the...
This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) under the Environmental Health (CFDA 93.113) Federal Grant Program provides $158,548 to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to characterize the structural and functional changes of the respiratory microbiota and metabolome in response to wood smoke exposure. The key objectives are to identify the mechanisms by which the respiratory microbiome and its metabolites modulate the host response to...
This R21 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) under the Environmental Health (CFDA 93.113) program provides $433,950 to the University of California, Davis to study the impact of wildfire smoke exposure on lung injury and disease in pediatric populations. The key objectives are to: 1) Define the contribution of age on the toxicity of wood smoke particles in respiratory and alveolar epithelium, 2) Investigate the effect of early life wood...
This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) under the Environmental Health (CFDA 93.113) federal grant program provides $795,848 to the University of California, Davis to investigate the impacts of prenatal wildfire smoke exposure on maternal immune dysregulation, epigenetic changes in children, and associated child neurodevelopmental and behavioral outcomes. The 5-year study aims to enhance understanding of the immunologic and epigenetic...
This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), under the Environmental Health (CFDA 93.113) federal grant program, provides $567,093 to The Regents of the University of California, Berkeley to conduct research on the impact of wildfire exposure on the human methylome and health. The key objectives of this 2-year project are to: 1) develop comprehensive wildfire exposure assessments for a cohort of 5,000 adults in Northern California, 2) collect...
This Project Grant award, with a total funding amount of $409,687.00 and an award date of June 24, 2025, was provided by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) under the Environmental Health (CFDA 93.113) Federal Grant Program. The grant aims to assess the impact of wildfire smoke and heat on cognition, mood, and the human metabolome in a vulnerable older population, specifically those with Parkinson's disease (PD). The research will leverage a large case-control study...
This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's Geosciences Program (CFDA 47.050) provides $180,000 to conduct research on wildfire-generated nanoparticles and their impact on human health and the environment. The research aims to: 1) determine how temperature, composition of combustible materials, and soil composition influence the metal chemistry of fine particulate matter; 2) identify the mineralogy, metal associations, and morphology of these particles; and 3) examine how...
This federal Project Grant award from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) under the Environmental Health (CFDA 93.113) program totals $253,070 and runs from September 4, 2024 to August 31, 2026. The award supports a research project to assess the mental and respiratory health impacts of the deadly Maui wildland-urban interface (WUI) fire that occurred in August 2023. Key objectives include: Evaluating the impact of the fire on mental and respiratory health outcomes in...
This Project Grant award, with a total funding amount of $409,750, was provided by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) under the Environmental Health (CFDA 93.113) federal grant program. The goal of the research is to gain a comprehensive understanding of how the transformation of metal oxide nanomaterials in wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires impacts their toxicity and ability to induce congenital heart defects. The research involves collecting and analyzing WUI...
This $7,200,000 Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the Congressional Directives program (CFDA 93.493) will support the University of California, Davis Health (UCDH) in establishing a new Institute on Wildfires, Health, Equity, and Resilience. The key products and services to be delivered include: Construction of a unique "FIRESCE" burn facility to test fuel types and smoke composition, enabling experimental animal studies with direct...
This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), under the Environmental Health (CFDA 93.113) Federal Grant Program, will support research to investigate the impact of wildfire smoke on respiratory antiviral defense responses. The $2,433,239 award, effective August 10, 2024 through May 31, 2029, will fund two specific aims:
In vitro exposure and infection studies using human nasal epithelial cells to determine the mechanisms by which wildfire smoke affects antiviral defense function and identify the chemical signatures driving these responses.
In vivo assessments of the effects of wildfire smoke exposure and influenza infection on nasal immunity in human volunteers, using the live attenuated influenza vaccine as a model.
The research aims to comprehensively evaluate how wildfire smoke disrupts respiratory mucosal antiviral defenses, including viral entry/replication, antibody production, and cellular defense pathways. By integrating the in vitro and in vivo investigations, the project will yield translational insights and mechanistic understanding on the impacts of wildfire exposures on respiratory antiviral immunity.