Anke Huels

My research program is aimed at elucidating the complex relationship between air pollution, social and molecular factors, and cognitive health across the lifespan. As a trained biostatistician (BSc, MSc, and PhD in (bio)statistics) and environmental and molecular epidemiologist (PhD and Postdoc), I have been driven to develop and apply quantitative epidemiologic methods to better understand the interplay between the environment, (epi)genetics and health. 

Supported by several major NIH/NIA awards, I have built a successful research program, which focuses on two domains related to the effects of air pollution on the brain and the biologic mechanisms underlying that association: 1) understanding the impacts of air pollution and psychosocial factors on cognitive decline among adults and cognitive development of children, and 2) characterizing the epigenetic landscape of air pollution and cognitive health.

Below is a sample of some of the projects I am currently leading: 

IMPACT-ADRD: Investigating the Multi-omics Perturbations Associated with Complex Environmental Toxicants and their Contribution to Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (NIH/NIA U01AG088425; MPIs Huels/Liang/Wingo; contact PI: Huels)

By using innovative targeted and untargeted exposure assessment, single- and multi-omics analysis, and cross-tissue approaches, our primary objective is to offer valuable insights into how individual PM2.5 pollutants and mixtures interact with biological responses across epigenome, proteome, and metabolome, ultimately contributing to our understanding of AD/ADRD. This knowledge can aid future endeavors aimed at shaping environmental regulations and health policies to reduce the risk of AD/ADRD associated with air pollution.

Air pollution, the blood and brain metabolome and their effects on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (NIH/NIA R01AG087250; MPIs Huels/Liang; contact PI: Huels)

Despite the observed epidemiological evidence, the detailed molecular mechanisms explaining how air pollution exposures (both individually and as a mixture) affect Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) are still largely unknown. We will investigate the molecular connections underlying the neurotoxicity of air pollution using innovative cross-tissue approaches, with the overarching goal of providing key insights into the relationship between air pollution mixtures, biological response profiles, and AD/ADRD, supporting future efforts that aim to inform environmental regulation and health policy to mitigate air pollution-related risk for AD/ADRD.

Air pollution and early signs of dementia (NIH/NIA R01AG079170; MPIs Huels/Wingo; contact PI: Huels)

Air pollution exposure is a well-established risk factor for many health conditions including dementia. Yet, how air pollution affects dementia is poorly understood. Here, we aim determine the role of air pollution on two of the most common causes of dementia, namely Alzheimer's disease and vascular cognitive impairment, using well-characterized diverse longitudinal studies of brain aging that will provide biological insights and identify characteristics for people at higher risk (e.g., sex and race/ethnicity).