How fine particle air pollution (PM2.5) changes immune metabolism linked to heart disease and type 2 diabetes
Official title: Targets and targeting of immunometabolism in chronic PM2.5 exposure
Funded at Case Western Reserve University · NIH-11471379 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project explores whether long-term exposure to fine particle air pollution (PM2.5) changes immune and metabolic systems in ways that raise the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes in exposed people.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Case Western Reserve University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cleveland, United States) |
| Project start | February 7, 2022 |
| Project end | November 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $94,385 |
| NIH project number | 3R01ES033670-05S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11471379 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be adults with a history of long-term exposure to traffic-related or fine particle air pollution, especially those with or at risk for type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease, who are willing to provide clinical samples or health data.
✕Less likely to help
People without chronic exposure to PM2.5, those with health issues unrelated to inflammation-driven cardiometabolic disease, or children are less likely to directly benefit from this specific research.
What this research studies
You would hear how researchers are looking at the effects of chronic PM2.5 (fine particle) exposure on inflammation, immune-cell metabolism, and pathways that normally resolve inflammation. The team will work with both human samples and animal experiments to track oxidative stress, inflammatory signals, and changes in gene activity using tools like ATAC-seq. People may be asked to give blood samples or have health measurements taken, while parallel lab studies test whether targeting these immune-metabolic pathways can reduce harm. The goal is to connect measurable changes in people to experiments that could point to treatments or prevention strategies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify biological targets or treatments to reduce pollution-driven inflammation and lower the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
How similar studies have gone: Previous animal and human studies, including work from this group, have linked PM2.5 to increased inflammation and cardiometabolic risk, but targeting the resolution of inflammation is a newer and less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
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Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Maiseyeu, Andrei — Case Western Reserve University
- Study coordinator: Maiseyeu, Andrei
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.