Graduate and Postdoctoral Training

Paola Peña García is a Ph.D. candidate in cellular, molecular, and biomedical sciences at the Larner College of Medicine.

(JANUARY 24, 2024) Paola Peña García, a Ph.D. candidate in cellular, molecular, and biomedical sciences, is lead author of a study showing that bariatric surgery, a surgical procedure to alter the digestive system or reduce stomach size, triggers “substantial weight loss and improves lung function,” Medical Dialogues reported. Researchers also found post-surgery plasma collected from volunteers showed a reduced inflammatory response from cells that line the airways compared to pre-surgery plasma.

For this study, researchers were focused on understanding the mechanisms behind these improvements in hopes of developing new treatments for obese asthma. In addition, methods possibly mimicking the benefits of weight loss, including exercise and diet changes, may also lead to new therapeutics.

“Our findings suggest that while weight loss is beneficial, fat-derived factors may not be the main contributors that affect obese asthma,” said Peña García. Researchers conceded that more studies are needed to fully understand how obesity and weight loss affect asthma treatment.

The findings are published in the American Journal of Physiology Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, and the study has been chosen as an APSselect article for January.