Downstream processes that occur in AT1s following the exposure to microplastics in context to ambient air pollution

The aim is to better understand the downstream processes that occur in AT1s following the exposure to microplastics in context to ambient air pollution.

This study will have three separate aims that will tackle this objective from different angles to provide an overview of the cellular responses to airborne pollution. The aims are the following
1. Investigate the mechanisms by which microplastics independently or as a part of the mixture enter the alveolar epithelial cells; 2. Examine the transcriptome, metabolome, and proteome of AT1 cells following to the exposure microplastics independently or as a part of the mixture enter the alveolar epithelial cells and 3. (potentially) Set up 3D cell model that represents the lung microenvironment and expose it to microplastics independently and as a part of mixture (with PM2.5) to determine how cells respond.