Researchers to track health after smokers switch products
Pelotonia-funded project led by Associate Professor Min-Ae Song
Switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes may lower exposure to some harmful chemicals, but scientists still do not know the effects on long-term health. A new study, led by College of Public Health Associate Professor Min-Ae Song, explores what happens when people switch products or cut back on cigarettes.
Researchers were awarded $150,000 through The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute’s Pelotonia Idea Grants program. Eight cancer research projects received funding.
Song and her team will follow adult smokers who switch to e-cigarettes or FDA-approved quit-smoking products, such as nicotine patches or gum. They will look for changes in DNA that may signal smoking-related harm, cancer risk or biological aging.
The research team includes Theodore Wagener, director of the Center for Tobacco Research; Alice Hinton, CPH clinical research data manager; and Joseph McElroy, assistant professor at the College of Medicine.
Song and CPH Associate Professor Olorunfemi Adetona also received support for a study that will help build a prevention and screening research program for firefighters, who can face higher cancer risks because they are exposed to smoke, chemicals and other hazards on the job.