Aerosols and Health

In April 2008, the University of Rostock (UR) and Helmholtz Munich started a permanent scientific and structural cooperation in the general areas of environmental health research and analytical instrument development, as stipulated in the cooperation agreement between the GSF Research Center (the pre-predecessor institution of Helmholtz Munich) and the University of Rostock in December 2007. Subsequently, a joint research unit of UR and Helmholtz Munich, the "Joint Mass Spectrometry Centre" (JMSC), was established.

The scientific activities of the JMSC were currently divided into two general research areas, Aerosols and Health and Enabling Analytical Technologies. The research program was aligned with the Helmholtz Mission of the national Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers (HGF) and the Program Oriented Funding (POF) of the HGF for Environment and Health at Helmholtz Munich.

The goal of the first research area Aerosols and Health was to investigate the effects of aerosols and air pollution on human health. Environmental factors that are directly or indirectly relevant to human health and well-being were investigated. A distinctive activity in this research area was the study of the health effects of ambient and emission aerosols. The research area was also directly related to the Helmholtz Virtual Institute HICE - Aerosol and Health or its continuation (newHICE) in basic funding/POF at HMGU and the Helmholtz International Lab aeroHEALTH, which was led by CMA.

The work of the research area "Aerosols and Health" was organized in five research groups at UR and Helmholtz Munich, each represented and led by an experienced scientific topic leader:

The research area Aerosol Chemistry was concerned with the chemical characterization of all types of aerosols, both ambient aerosols and combustion aerosols and artificially aged aerosols. The Aerosol Physics Research Area was responsible for the physical characterization of aerosols, e.g., by determining size distributions and addressing issues of aerosol dosing in ALI systems and workplace aerosols. The research topic Aerosol Toxicology dealt with biological effects of cell culture models exposed to aerosols at the air-liquid interface (ALI). The characterization of the biological response was performed at different omics levels as well as by functional assays. In the Aerosol Mutagenesis theme, both primary and secondary genotoxic and mutagenic effects of aerosols were studied. In addition, biomarkers of exposure and oxidative stress were evaluated using chromatographic and mass spectrometric methods. The Helmholtz International Lab aeroHEALTH was managed within the research area aeroHEALTH & Data Analysis. In addition, the division lead the simulation of aerosol aging processes as well as chemometric data analysis and the integration of physicochemical and biological data in aerosol and health research.