Peggy Lai, MD, MPH
Dr. Peggy Lai is a Physician Investigator in the CTEU, an Associate Professor of Medicine at HMS, a physician in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at MGH, and a Research Associate in the Department of Environmental Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Lai earned her MD at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and a MPH from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She completed her Internal Medicine Residency at New York Presbyterian - Weill Cornell and her Pulmonary and Critical Care fellowship at MGH, BWH, and BIDMC. Her research group performs clinical and translational research at the intersection of environmental exposures, the human microbiome, and lung disease. Her work is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the American Lung Association, the American Thoracic Society, and a Transformative Scholars Award from the MGH Department of Medicine. Dr. Lai has received several awards for mentorship, including the 2022 MGH Department of Medicine Award for Excellence in Resident Scholarship Mentoring (given to one DOM faculty member for research mentoring provided to DOM housestaff) and the 2024 MGH Department of Medicine Anne Klibanski Excellence in Mentoring Award (given to one exceptional DOM clinical mentor whose first faculty appointment at any institution occurred no more than 12 years ago).
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Projects
The School Microbiome and Asthma Morbidity in Elementary School Children
As part of the School Inner City Asthma Intervention Study, a randomized controlled trial of environmental interventions to reduce allergen exposure in schools, we received a 3.7 million dollar grant from NIH to determine the contribution of the school microbiome to asthma morbidity (Lai).
Respiratory Virus Exposure in Elementary Schools
We have developed methods to assess respiratory virus exposure in schools, including adapting laboratory methods to allow for viral metagenomics sequencing of built environment samples, and digital PCR assays for highly multiplexed assessment of respiratory viral load in air samples. We have received two NIH R21 grants and an American Lung Association award to support this work. The ultimate goal is to identify effective interventions that will decrease the risk of respiratory virus exposure and infections in elementary schools (Lai).
Household air pollution exposure, the gut microbiome and virome, and global lung health
Household air pollution from polluting fuel used for cooking and lighting leads to a high burden of heart and lung disease in resource-limited settings. In a study supported by funding from the American Thoracic Society, the Harvard NIEHS Center, and the MGH Department of Medicine, we conducted a randomized controlled trial of solar home systems for clean light. Beyond reducing exposure to air pollution, we show that a household energy intervention can change the social determinants of health. We published a research statement from the American Thoracic Society on future research recommendations for household energy intervention trials in low and middle income countries (LMICs) (Lai). Additionally, we have ongoing work (manuscript under review) showing that air pollution exposures change the gut microbiome and phageome, with a recent NIH R01 grant proposal scoring in the 7th percentile that is projected to be funded (R01 ES035791 Prenatal and infant household air pollution exposure, the human microbiome and virome, and childhood lung function: the GRAPHS randomized controlled trial)
Methods development for microbiome studies in challenging samples (including respiratory and built environment samples)
Successful metagenomics sequencing in respiratory samples is hampered by the high host content (sometimes exceeding 99%) and low microbial biomass. We are developing and validating methods for human host DNA depletion for previously biobanked crypreserved respiratory samples that enable successful metagenomics sequencing, while in parallel optimizing amplicon sequencing protocols for V1-V9 16S rRNA in challenging respiratory samples. Additionally, we have developed a translational model for studying the effects of environmental exposures such as hyperoxia on the airway microbiome of cystic fibrosis patients and shown that supplemental oxygen reduces microbial diversity and promotes pathogen growth.
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Key Publications
Lai PS, Lam NL, Gallery B, Lee AG, Adair-Rohani H, Alexander D, Balakrishnan K, Bisaga I, Chafe ZA, Clasen T, Díaz-Artiga A, Grieshop A, Harrison K, Hartinger SM, Jack D, Kaali S, Lydston M, Mortimer KM, Nicolaou L, Obonyo E, Okello G, Olopade C, Pillarisetti A, Pinto AN, Rosenthal JP, Schluger N, Shi X, Thompson C, Thompson LM, Volckens J, Williams KN, Balmes J, Checkley W, Ozoh OB. Household Air Pollution Interventions to Improve Health in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: An Official American Thoracic Society Research Statement. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2024 04 15; 209(8):909-927. PMID: 38619436.
Kitsios GD, Sayed K, Fitch A, Yang H, Britton N, Shah F, Bain W, Evankovich JW, Qin S, Wang X, Li K, Patel A, Zhang Y, Radder J, Dela Cruz C, Okin DA, Huang CY, Van Tyne D, Benos PV, Methé B, Lai P, Morris A, McVerry BJ. Longitudinal multicompartment characterization of host-microbiota interactions in patients with acute respiratory failure. Nat Commun. 2024 Jun 03; 15(1):4708. PMID: 38830853; PMCID: PMC11148165.
Kim M, Parrish RC, Shah VS, Ross M, Cormier J, Baig A, Huang CY, Brenner L, Neuringer I, Whiteson K, Harris JK, Willis AD, Lai PS. Host DNA depletion on frozen human respiratory samples enables successful metagenomic sequencing for microbiome studies. Res Sq. 2024 Jan 23. PMID: 38343829; PMCID: PMC10854296.
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