ATS 2026 Exhibitor Hosted Session
SCIREQ is hosting a free in-person event on Tuesday May 19th, 2026 from 4-5 PM at The Agave Room, located at 9101 INTERNATIONAL DRIVE SUITE 1190
ORLANDO, FL 32819
Session Title: Origins of Vulnerability in Neonatal Lung Disease: Sex-Specific Mechanisms, Environmental Insults, and Novel Therapeutics
Session Description: Early-life lung development is highly vulnerable to prenatal exposures and postnatal stressors, often leading to lasting respiratory consequences. This session brings together established experts to explore the molecular and structural mechanisms driving developmental lung toxicity and neonatal lung injury.
Key Topics Include:
- Maternal Vaping: The structural and functional impacts of e-cigarette aerosols on fetal lung organogenesis.
- Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD): The distinct roles of gonadal and chromosomal sex in respiratory mechanics following neonatal hyperoxic injury.
- Novel Therapeutics: Evaluating S-nitrosothiol signaling and GSNOR inhibition as targeted treatment pathways for BPD.
By integrating preclinical mouse models with complementary human infant data, this session bridges bench discovery and clinical application to highlight promising therapeutic avenues for preterm and critically ill neonates.
Register Below To Attend:
Speaker Spotlight
Dr. Alexandra Noël – Louisiana State University
Talk Title: It begins in the womb: maternal vaping and lung developmental toxicity in
mouse offspring
Biography: Dr. Alexandra Noël received her bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences, her master’s in
Occupational and Environmental Health, as well as her PhD in Public Health, with a specialization
in Toxicology and Risk Assessment, all from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Montreal
(Quebec, Canada). She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Comparative Biomedical
Sciences at Louisiana State University (LSU) and Director of the Inhalation Research Facility.
She conducts in vitro and in vivo inhalation toxicology studies on cardio-pulmonary effects
resulting from in utero and adult exposures to inhaled pollutants. Since 2018, her laboratory has
been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including NIEHS, NHLBI and
NIGMS.
Dr Stephanie Adaikalam – Riley Hospital for Children
Talk Title: S-Nitrosothiol Signaling in Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia: A Novel Therapeutic
Opportunity
Biography: Dr. Adaikalam is a pediatric pulmonologist and physician-scientist at Riley Hospital for Children focused on elucidating the mechanisms of airway disease in prematurity, with the goal of translating bench discoveries into targeted therapies that improve outcomes for infants born preterm. Her research centers on Snitrosothiol signaling in bronchopulmonary dysplasia and tracheobronchomalacia.
Dr Krithika Lingappan – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Talk Title: Disentangling Gonadal and Chromosomal Sex in Neonatal Lung Function After
Hyperoxic Injury
Biography: Dr Lingappan is a neonatologist and physician-scientist whose laboratory focuses on
how biological sex shapes endothelial and immune responses in the developing lung and
contributes to bronchopulmonary dysplasia and other prematurity-related morbidities.
Her work integrates murine models, single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, and human endothelial and macrophage studies to define sex chromosome driven mechanisms of
neonatal hyperoxic lung injury, with a particular emphasis on sex-specific
in vivo Respiratory Mechanics Measurements
The flexiVent lung function solution is widely regarded as the gold standard for in vivo respiratory mechanics measurements. It goes beyond traditional resistance and compliance mechanics of pulmonary ventilation, and captures crucial details about the mechanical properties of conducting airways, terminal airways and parenchyma.
The flexiVent achieves the highest sensitivity and reproducibility by precisely controlling experimental conditions.
New Research Platform for Precision Cut Lung Slices
Precision-Cut Lung Slices (PCLS) help researchers understand pathophysiological mechanisms associated with various respiratory diseases. The physioLens is a scientific platform that provides accurate physiological and image-based outcomes in a reproducible fashion. It includes an automated microscope and fluid handling system.
The physioLens features:
- Automation: The physioLens is capable of capturing images anywhere on slices in a 6 well plate and apply doses without user intervention. Images are analyzed in real-time to provide bronchoconstriction data.
- Dosing: Agonists are provided to the slice without user intervention by a dosing nozzle, that can provide a 95% media exchange in less than 20 seconds. In addition, eight dosing bottles are provided to complete a detailed dose response automatically.
- Image analysis: Images of airways are automatically processed to capture the lumen contours and then calculate bronchoconstriction.
- Slice Scanning: Navigating a slice is not necessary with our airway configuration wizard complete with full slice mapping. Fine tune the positions of interest with our click-and-drag XY navigation.
In Vivo and In Vitro Smoke Exposure
We are proud to introduce our new expoCube, adding robust in vitro exposure to the automated inExpose system.
The expoCube provides a novel ALI (air liquid interface) culture exposure system, integrating with the inExpose’s existing exposure generators such as the integrated cigarette smoking robot and industry leading e-cigarette extensions.
The expoCube features:
- Reproducibility: Efficient, uniform, and precise exposure of particulates onto target cells and tissues.
- Precision: Optimized flow paths using advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling.
- Deposition: Patented thermophoresis, increasing the deposition efficiency of small particles without imparting unnatural electrostatic charges onto the aerosols.
