In the News

LSU VETERINARY SCHOOL RESEARCHERS RECEIVE AWARDS

Education

PhD, Université de Montréal, Faculté de Médecine, 2013

MSc, Université de Montréal, Faculté de Médecine, 2007

BS, Université de Montréal, Faculté de Médecine, 2003

Research Interest

The focus of our research is production and characterization of aerosols, composed of engineered nanoparticles, ultrafine or fine particles, as well as inhalation and developmental toxicology. We seek to investigate the fundamental mechanisms at the epigenetic, molecular and cellular levels that underlie the developmental origins of health and disease, with respect to respiratory effects caused by distinct emerging inhaled environmental pollutants. This includes the study of engineered nanoparticles, second-hand smoke, electronic cigarette vapor, hookah smoke, and a multi-pollutant approach to simulate real-life exposure scenarios. We use a multidisciplinary approach bridging inhalation toxicology, nanotoxicology, pathology and lung biology, as well as in utero exposure and lung disease models (asthma, emphysema, fibrosis and lung cancer), coupled with gene expression and DNA methylation analysis, allowing for an adequate exposure – effect continuum correlation. These studies also allow for the identification of the common toxicological pathways and underlying pathophysiological mechanisms related to the adverse pulmonary effects induced by these airborne contaminants. 

Teaching Interest

Inhalation toxicology as well as cellular and molecular biology

Clinical interest

Translational research in pulmonary diseases.

Awards & Honors

2020 David Bates Award - American Thoracic Society (ATS) Environmental, Occupational and Population Health Assembly

2020 LSU Alumni Association Rising Faculty Research Award

2020 APSselect article for the month of April 2020

2019 NIH/NHLBI AGOLD PRIDE program scholar

2019 Distinguished Scientific Presentation Award - Toxicologists of African Origin, Society of Toxicology

2018 Excellence in Research Grant

2018 Faculty Fellowship Program in Israel - Jewish National Fund

2017 Chair - Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) – Lung Development, Injury & repair

2017 Minority Trainee Development Scholarship - American Thoracic Society

2016 Abstract Scholarship - Thoracic Oncology Assembly, American Thoracic Society

2015 Minority Trainee Development Scholarship - American Thoracic Society

2014 Post-doctoral Fellowship - Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé 

Publications

Inhalation of particulate matter containing free radicals leads to decreased vascular responsiveness associated with an altered pulmonary function. Harmon, Ashlyn; Noël, Alexandra; Subramanian, B; Perveen, Z; Jennings, M; Chen, Y; Penn, Arthur; Legendre, K; Paulsen, Daniel; Varner, K; Dugas, Tammy. 2021. American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology, Volume: 321, Number: 4, Pages: H667-H683. Pubmed link 

In utero exposure to e-cig aerosols decreases lung fibrillar collagen content, increases Newtonian resistance and induces sex-specific molecular signatures in neonatal mice. Cahill, Kerin; Gartia, Manas; Sahu, Sushant; Bergeron, Sarah; Heffernan, Linda; Paulsen, Daniel; Penn, Arthur; Noël, Alexandra. 2021. Toxicological Research. Link to article

Effects of Chronic Secondhand Smoke (SHS) Exposure on Cognitive Performance and Metabolic Pathways in the Hippocampus of Wild-Type and Human Tau Mice. Raber J, Perez R, Torres ERS, Krenik D, Boutros S, Patel E, Chlebowski AC, Torres ER, Perveen Z, Penn A, Paulsen DB, Bartlett MG, Jia E, Holden S, Hall R, Morré J, Wong C, Ho E, Choi J, Stevens JF, Noël A, Bobe G, Kisby G. 2021. Environmental health perspectives, 129(5), 57009. doi.org/10.1289/EHP8428. Pubmed link

Sub-ohm vaping increases the levels of carbonyls, is cytotoxic, and alters gene expression in human bronchial epithelial cells exposed at the air-liquid interface. Noël, Alexandra; Hossain, Md Ekhtear; Perveen, Zakia; Zaman, Hasan; Penn, Arthur. 2020. Respiratory Research, 19;21(1):305. doi: 10.1186/s12931-020-01571-1. Pubmed link

Cell-specific toxicity of short-term JUUL aerosol exposure to human bronchial epithelial cells and murine macrophages exposed at the air-liquid interface. Pinkston, Rakeysha; Zaman, Hasan; Hossain, Md Ekhtear; Penn, Arthur; Noël, Alexandra. 2020. Respiratory Research, 17;21(1):269. doi: 10.1186/s12931-020-01539-1. Pubmed link

Electronic-cigarette vehicles and flavoring affect lung function and immune responses in a murine model. Szafran, Brittany; Pinkston, Rakeysha; Perveen, Zakia; Ross, Matthew; Morgan, Thimothy; Paulsen, Daniel; Penn, Arthur; Kaplan, Barbara; Noël, Alexandra. 2020. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21(17):6022. doi: 10.3390/ijms21176022. Pubmed link

In utero exposures to electronic-cigarette aerosols impair the Wnt signaling during mouse lung development. Noël, Alexandra; Hansen, Shannon; Zaman, Anusha; Perveen, Zakia; Pinkston, Rakeysha; Hossain, Md Ekhtear; Xiao, Rui; Penn, Arthur. 2020. American Journal of Physiology - Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Volume: 318, Number: 4, Pages: L705-L722. Pubmed link

Generation of Electronic Cigarette Aerosol by a Third-Generation Machine-Vaping Device: Application to Toxicological Studies. Noël, Alexandra; Verret, Christina; Hasan, Farhana; Lomnicki, Slawomir; Morse, John; Robichaud, Annette; Penn, Arthur. 2018. Journal of Visualized Experiments, Volume: 138, Pages: e58095.

Pubmed link

Sex-specific lung functional changes in adult mice exposed only to second-hand smoke in utero. Noël, A; Xiao, R; Perveen, Z; Zaman, H; Le Donne, V; Penn, Arthur. 2017. Respiratory Research, 18(1):104. doi: 10.1186/s12931-017-0591-0. Pubmed link

Early Postnatal Secondhand Smoke Exposure Disrupts Bacterial Clearance and Abolishes Immune Responses in Muco-Obstructive Lung Disease. Lewis, B; Sultana, R; Sharma, R; Noël, Alexandra; Langohr, Ingeborg; Patial, Sonika; Penn, Arthur; Saini, Yogesh. 2017. Journal of Immunology, Volume: 199, Number: 3, Pages: 1170-1183. Pubmed link

Grants

Effect of third-generation electronic-cigarette design features on aerosol constituents and pulmonary toxicity in vitro and in vivo - Focus on humectants and vitamin E acetate, NIH/NIEHS, $72,769.00.

Cardiopulmonary effects induced by electronic-cigarette and JUUL aerosols in both in vivo and in vitro models, NIH/NHLBI, $816,995.00.

LSU Superfund Research Program, NIH NIEHS, $253,453.40.