Research context and objectives
Human beings are exposed to many airborne environmental contaminants with potentially toxic pulmonary and/or systemic effects. The pulmonary barrier plays a major role in protecting against these agents, but is also as a potential target. It is therefore important to be able to characterize the cellular and molecular effects of these environmental contaminants on the pulmonary epithelial barrier. The team's research themes therefore focus on the analysis of interaction between the pollutants and the pulmonary epithelial barrier and on the consequences in terms of pulmonary impact and systemic intrusion and toxicity. Interaction with the pulmonary barrier's immune/inflammatory component (Axis 1) and transport component (Axis 2) are studied in conjunction.
