# Systems Biology in Vaping Product Exposure

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2020 · $572,242

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Inhalation of electronically aerosolized vapors, or vaping, has grown substantially in the past decade. A recent
outbreak of e-cigarette or vaping product use associated lung injury (EVALI) has raised concern for the public
health impact of the behavior. Effects on the lung both acutely and chronically are not well-understood, and
mechanisms of lung damage have not been fully elucidated. EVALI cases are in part thought to be due to in-
halation of toxic chemicals, such as vitamin E acetate, contained within the diluent of the product; however,
factors determining individual susceptibility to EVALI are unclear. Changes in the metabolic milieu of the lung
could also alter the structure and function of the lung microbiome, further perpetuating injury. In preliminary
studies, we have demonstrated alterations in the lung metabolome in EVALI patients compared to individuals
with lung injury from other causes and to a healthy control and an HIV-infected individual with chronic vape use
as well as alterations in pulmonary function with chronic vaping. In the current proposal, we will measure multi-
ple parallel molecular and clinical datasets to test the hypothesis that interactions of the metabolome, microbi-
ome, and the host are critical in development of injury secondary to e-vapor exposure. We will build a compre-
hensive, systems-level model of the cellular and microbial milieu in the lung of subjects with chronic e-vapor
exposure and from inpatients with acute EVALI to understand the transition from chronic exposure to acute
injury. We will apply supervised and unsupervised machine learning algorithms to better understand and clas-
sify features distinguishing acute vaping induced lung injury from non-vaping associated lung injury and from
chronic lung injury related to e-vapor exposure. In addition, we will develop a novel ex vivo lung perfusion
model that can be used for future mechanistic studies arising from our investigations. Leveraging the infra-
structure within the Systems Biology of Diffusion Impairment in HIV study (R01HL140963), we have the oppor-
tunity to examine a continuum of vaping and lung impairment including chronic vaping in a healthy population,
chronic vaping in HIV+ individuals who may have enhanced susceptibility to vaping, and in patients with EVALI
through the following aims: Aim 1: To identify causal molecular pathways underlying the host response to
chronic e-vapor exposure by integrating clinical features and -omics data from ambulatory individuals. Aim 2:
To identify predictive signatures of respiratory impairment from clinical features, transcriptomic, microbiome,
and metabolomic data using clinical specimens from hospitalized individuals with EVALI. Aim 3: To develop a
clinically relevant ex-vivo model of ENDD exposure to facilitate mechanistic investigation and evaluation of
novel therapeutic interventions. This project will leverage existing resources to identify complex associations
and causal relations...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10114658
- **Project number:** 3R01HL140963-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** PANAGIOTIS V BENOS
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $572,242
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2018-08-01 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10114658

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10114658, Systems Biology in Vaping Product Exposure (3R01HL140963-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10114658. Licensed CC0.

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