Christopher Pascoe, PhD

Research summary

Dr. Christopher Pascoe’s research focuses on chronic respiratory diseases, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which are significant health burdens in Canada. His work investigates both genetic and environmental risk factors in the development of these conditions. By understanding how the early life environment influences the risk for chronic disease, his research aims to develop strategies and treatments to reduce risk and prevent disease development. Dr. Pascoe’s team uses animal and cell models, as well as human clinical samples, to explore two main areas:

1. Regulation of lung cellular physiology by lipid mediators: His team studies signaling molecules known as oxylipins, which regulate diverse cellular functions but are not well understood in the context of lung physiology. They use cell-based models of airway cells to explore the types of oxylipins produced and how they regulate cellular physiology.
2. Environmental influences on chronic respiratory disease: The team examines how exposure to factors like cigarette smoke, maternal diabetes, and e-cigarettes impacts lung health. They use animal and cell-based models, along with clinical samples, to study how environmental changes affect cell function and lung health, focusing on changes in cellular transcriptomes, lipidomes, and proteomes.

Research interests

• Airway smooth muscle
• Amniotic fluid
• Asthma
• Cigarette smoke
• COPD
• E-cigarettes
• In utero exposure
• Maternal diabetes
• Oxylipins

Research affiliations

Research groups:

• Biology of Breathing Theme (BoB)
• Canadian Respiratory Research Network

Principal investigator:

• Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM)