Collaborative Consortium on Thirdhand Smoke Launches Three More Years of Research

Since 2011, The California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP) has supported the Collaborative Consortium on Thirdhand Smoke. The Consortium’s groundbreaking research into the nature and health consequences of tobacco smoke residue has influenced policy at the state and federal levels. We are excited to announce the Consortium was funded for a new cycle of innovative research with researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC), San Diego State University (SDSU), and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Six new research projects, four research cores, and two pilot projects per year will advance the science on the impact of thirdhand smoke on human health and share findings with the public and tobacco control stakeholders.

The new research projects will study thirdhand smoke chemistry (Dr. Hugo Destaillats, LBNL), thirdhand smoke disease susceptibility (Dr. Antoine Snijders and Dr. Jian-Hua, LBNL), dermal uptake of thirdhand smoke (Dr. Suzaynn Schick, UCSF), thirdhand smoke disparities (Dr. Penelope Quintana, SDSU, and Dr. Melinda Mahabee-Gittens, CCHMC), thirdhand smoke fate (Dr. Nathan Dodder, SDSU), and thirdhand smoke messaging (Dr. Rachael Record, SDSU).

These projects will be supported by shared research core facilities focusing on environmental markers (Dr. Eunha Hoh, SDSU), biomarkers (Dr. Peyton Jacob, UCSF), dissemination and outreach resources (Dr. Georg Matt, SDSU), and thirdhand smoke generation (Dr. Suzaynn Schick, UCSF). In addition, the Consortium will support two pilot research projects per year. In the first year, Dr. Elana Elkin and Dr. Karilyn Sant (SDSU) will investigate the toxic effects of thirdhand smoke at the placental-embryonic interface and Dr. Nicolas Galvez Lopez (SDSU) will study exposure to thirdhand smoke by analyzing cotinine in hand wipes. Dr. Neil Benowitz (UCSF) and Dr. Georg Matt (SDSU) will lead the Consortium as Principal Investigators.

Funded by California’s Tobacco-Related Disease Program, the Consortium aims to contribute to the California Tobacco Endgame Initiative. The goal of the Endgame is to end the sale of all commercial tobacco products in California by the year 2035.

Over the coming weeks, we will feature research projects, highlight the core research facilities, and introduce you to the investigators to learn about their goals, progress, and challenges.

Stay tuned for further announcements of research projects and Q & A with researchers.

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