This postdoctoral fellowship application proposes a comprehensive post-doctoral training program based on research and development of novel medical trace gas sensing technology, which will enable environmental carcinogen exposure monitoring and exhaled biomarker quantifications to support studies of health effects on large populations. We will develop low cost, wearable, patient-operated sensors which are adapted to a future geographic information system (GIS) carcinogen mapping and toxicology study. These sensors will utilize novel laser spectroscopic techniques which are able to detect trace levels of carcinogens and exhaled biomarkers (ranging from part-per-million down to part-per-trillion, at high specificity). In this project we will focus on two molecules: 1) Benzene (C6H6) for real time exposure monitoring and post-exposure studies through breath analysis of Benzene exhalation and 2) hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for breath analysis of oxidative stress. The Benzene will be mapped to work proof-of-concept carcinogen exposure map, and determine regional risks. The oxidative stress will also be measured in order to verify models of bodily damage caused by long term exposures. This work addresses the mission of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) by providing a novel exposure monitoring sensor to measure environmental factors in disease. National Cancer Institute (NCI) is also directly related to this work, as atmospheric chemicals are frequently the target of exposure measurement for environmental factors of cancer. The National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) sponsors new research sensing technologies.
This work is directly relevant to public health in that it will measure carcinogenic substances in the air, measure the extent of bodily exposure and cellular damage through breath analysis, and map these issues to determine courses of action to protect the public. Novel studies of chemicals in the air and their short and long term effects are also enabled by this research.
