Center for Research on Tobacco and Health

Penn State University TCORS Pilot Awards

The Penn State Center for Research on Tobacco and Health’s Tobacco Regulatory Science (TCORS) Pilot Project Program supports the professional development of scientists for research on reducing the harm from tobacco products. The second round of pilot awards supported research for early career investigators, including students and postdoctoral scholars.

Consistent with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) mission, this pilot program encourages research applications that address specific scientific domains including 1) understanding the composition and design of tobacco products, 2) approaches that test the toxicity of tobacco smoke, aerosol, or specific constituents, 3) the effect of tobacco product characteristics on addiction and abuse liability, 4) the short- and long-term health effects of tobacco products, 5) understanding the knowledge, attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors related to tobacco product use, 6) understanding how to effectively communicate the health effects of tobacco products use, 7) the influences of tobacco marketing, and 8) understanding the impact of potential FDA regulatory actions.

First Round Awardees

Evaluation of pulmonary cytotoxicity, DNA damage, and inflammatory response from exposure of components in ENDS aerosols.

• Principle Investigator: Raghu Sinha, PhD

  • Penn State University

• PSU TCORS Mentor: Zachary Bitzer, PhD

Evaluation of migration, cytotoxicity and inflammatory response of cardiovascular cells from exposures of complex mixtures of tobacco-related constituents in ENDS aerosol in vitro.

• Principle Investigator: He "Peter" Hwang, PhD

  • Stony Brook University

• PSU TCORS Mentor: Zachary Bitzer, PhD

Does Inflammation from ENDS Use Effect Mood and Use Behavior? An Experimental Study.

• Principle Investigator: Dahlia Mukherjee, PhD

  • Penn State University

• PSU TCORS Mentor: Zachary Bitzer, PhD and Jonathan Foulds, PhD

Second Round Awardees

Assessment of the Predictive Validity of Baseline Measures of E-Cigarette Dependence in a Randomized Clinical Trial of a Vaping Cessation Program for Adolescent E-Cigarette Users: A Secondary Data Analysis

• Principle Investigator: Sitasnu Dahal, PhD

  • Penn State University

• PSU TCORS Mentor: Jonathan Foulds, PhD

Effects of Nicotine Concentration in E-liquid on Toxicity.

• Principle Investigator: Logan Fox, MS

  • Penn State University

• PSU TCORS Mentor: Zachary Bitzer, PhD

Exploring Nicotine Pouch Use: Awareness, Susceptibility, Harm Perceptions, Motivation and Dependence Across Tobacco User Groups.

• Principle Investigators: Laraib Mazhar, MS and Wanyu Hua, MS

  • Penn State University

• PSU TCORS Mentor: Jessica Yingst, DrPH and Jonathan Foulds, PhD

Understanding Patterns and Transitions of Oral Nicotine Pouch Use Among U.S. Adults: A Mixed Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Analysis Using PATH Data.

• Principle Investigator: Wanyu Hua, MS and Laraib Mazhar, MS

  • Penn State University

• PSU TCORS Mentor: Joshua Muscat, PhD

Genotoxic Effects of Electronic Cigarette Exposure and Identification of Biomarkers of Exposure and Harm.

• Principle Investigator: Yaw Twum, PhD

  • Penn State University

• PSU TCORS Mentor: Zachary Bitzer, PhD

Salivary Multi-Omics for Biomarker Discovery of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation among Cigarette and E-cigarette Users.

• Principle Investigator: Rama Ungarala, PhD

  • Penn State University

• PSU TCORS Mentor: Zachary Bitzer, PhD