The new $2.6 million ONES grant award will establish an ambitious program so that Dr. Araujo, his UCLA team and researchers at institutions including University of Washington, University of Michigan and Cleveland Clinic Foundation will be able to further investigate the effect of environmental pollution on the heart.
Thus far, Araujo�s research found that the smallest particles from vehicle emissions may be the most damaging components of air pollution in triggering plaque buildup in the arteries, which can lead to heart attack and stroke.
Specifically, his team discovered that these ultrafine emission particles promote hardening of the arteries � by inactivating the protective qualities of high density lipoprotein (HDL), aka �good� cholesterol.
The ONES grant will allow Araujo, his team and fellow researchers at the aforementioned institutions to investigate why these pollutants have this effect on our hearts and how to counteract this negative consequence of breathing polluted air.
Araujo, is an assistant professor of medicine and cardiology at UCLA. He holds both medical and doctorate degrees and serves on the faculty of the UCLA Molecular Toxicology Interdepartmental Program and associate member of the UCLA Molecular Biology Institute.
He is only one of six researchers in the country to receive a 2009 ONES award from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).
