BREATHE T32 Curriculum Coordinator, Dr. Leah Reznikov, has received a new 2-year R21 grant exceeding $400k from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences: Emerging impact on airway health by airborne red tide toxins following major hurricanes Helene and Milton at the Gulf coast. This project, in collaboration with Drs. Myoseon Jang and Nancy Denslow, aims to address the pressing health crisis of red tide, fueled by hurricanes along Florida’s Gulf Coast. Their research will investigate how red tide algal toxins carried inland by sea spray aerosols impact the respiratory system, especially in people with asthma or compromised airway function.
Using UF’s state-of-the-art Atmospheric Photochemical Outdoor Reactor, Dr. Reznikov’s team will study how these toxins disrupt airway barrier function and trigger airway inflammation in human cells. Congratulations to Dr. Reznikov for leading the efforts that aim to protect coastal communities from harmful algal blooms and their respiratory impacts!