Steven R. Kleeberger, MD, was named Chief of the Laboratory of Pulmonary Pathobiology at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) in November 2001. He also directs the Environmental Genetics Group at NIEHS. Dr. Kleeberger/s laboratory has combined state-of-the-art methods in inhalation toxicology, pulmonary physiology, and molecular genetics to develop a number of models of genetic predisposition to inhaled agents, including acid-coated particles of nitrogen dioxide and ozone, as well as a murine model of genetic susceptibility to hyperoxia. His laboratory also focuses on gene-environment interaction and the pathogenesis of disease in human populations. His laboratory also participates in genetic analysis of asthma pathogenesis in a large population-based case-control study in Finland, with Dr. Jouni Jakkola; latex allergy in health care workers, with Dr. Robert Brown; and pneumoconiosis pathogenesis in a cohort of coal miners in France, with Drs. Rachel Nadif and Francine Kauffmann. His recent research efforts also have been directed at investigating the role of innate immunity gene polymorphisms in the determination of susceptibility to HIV infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome progression in the NIH-sponsored Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study. Dr. Kleeberger has served as a consultant with regard to susceptible subpopulations and airborne pollutants for the World Health Organization and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The overall goal of his research during the past 10 years has been to use positional cloning approaches in inbred mice to identify candidate genes that determine their susceptibility to environmental lung disease. Epidemiology studies have associated exposure to airborne oxidants and particles with increased mortality and morbidity in cities throughout the United States and in other industrialized countries. Particular concern has arisen about sensitive subgroups, such as children, people with asthma, and individuals with a genetic predisposition to susceptibility to environmental stressors. Understanding the genetic basis for interindividual variation in response to air pollutant exposure will clarify the mechanisms of host response and provide a means of identifying genetically susceptible individuals who may be at risk.
