Professor Moitra Wins Rising Star Award for his Research Linking Respiratory Diseases to Neurological Issues

The existence of a causal association between chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and a reduction in the volume of white matter in the brain may lead to other neurological manifestations such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS), and Parkinson's disease. This finding emerged from the research of Subhabrata Moitra​​​​​​, Assistant Professor at the Bagchi School of Public Health at Ahmedabad University, for which he also won the prestigious Rising Star Award from the XII International Workshop on Lung Health.

There are two types of asthma, based on the age of onset. Childhood-onset asthma primarily affects children, while adult-onset asthma develops in adults. Professor Moitra's work connects adult-onset asthma and brain white matter reduction. Determining a causal association usually requires a randomised controlled trial or a longitudinal study conducted over a long period. However, Professor Moitra highlights the possibility of using genome-wide association study databases to identify genetic components associated with both the exposure (adult-onset asthma) and the outcome (cerebral white matter volume).

"Certain single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are responsible for both adult-onset asthma and reduction in brain white matter. Through this study, we could disentangle a direct and causal link, demonstrating that adult-onset asthma is a risk factor for brain white matter reduction. This reduction is mostly associated with motor neuron disorders, which may lead to other neurological manifestations," said Professor Moitra.

Speaking about the global recognition of his work, Professor Moitra said, "I have been in the field of respiratory medicine for the past 15 years and have been an active member of the European Respiratory Society for the past 14 years. The International Workshop on Lung Health honours two or three researchers with the Rising Star Award every year; however, most recipients are usually clinicians. I feel fortunate that I received this honour as a basic scientist. There are not many people working on respiratory epidemiology in India. Hence, for early-career faculty and researchers, this type of award provides a lot of motivation, courage, and enthusiasm to pursue research in this domain, and I think there are many opportunities as well."

A physiologist by training, Professor Moitra has an inherent interest in epidemiology. He works on various aspects of respiratory epidemiology and tries to uncover the social, environmental, and interpersonal attributes that may be responsible for the development and progression of chronic respiratory diseases, particularly asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases.