Steffen Loft Professor, Institute of Public Health, University of Copenhagen

Professor Loft's research interests focus on ambient air pollution, diet and physiological factors in relation to individual susceptibility. Mechanistically we study the importance of metabolic processes in relation to the effects of foreign compounds and endogenous reactive species in the human body in order to prevent harmful and improve beneficial effects. We are developing individual exposure assessment, especially for air pollution particles, by means of models, personal samplers and biomarkers. A series of epidemiological studies on health effects of particles on acute cardiopulmonary diseases, lung cancer in a nested case-control study and health outcomes in children, including asthma and birth weight have been initiated. The specific research strategy involves an interplay between in vitro assays, experimental animal studies and epidemiology/mechanistic studies applying biomarkers in humans, in particular the development and application biomarkers, including gene expression patterns, within the area of oxidative damage to DNA and repair as well as foreign compound metabolism.