Data Science at the Interface of Air Pollution and Lung Health: Toward Precision Health

Air pollution is a leading cause of death, commonly linked to respiratory diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer. With a view toward precision health, efforts have been made to ascertain the relationships between air pollution and molecular dysregulation to direct risk management and prevention of pollution-promoted respiratory diseases. To this end, there have been several analyses aimed at uncovering how air pollution drives disease through dysregulation of the methylome, transcriptome, metabolome, proteome, genome, and microbiome. Here we review these studies, assess their current limitations, and discuss their contributions to research at the interface of air pollution and lung health. We highlight how large-scale analyses have elucidated the role of air pollution in dysregulating genomic stability, inflammation, and apoptotic pathways to promote respiratory diseases. Finally, we summarize opportunities for future research that may be facilitated by ongoing improvements in exposure estimates and multiomic integration strategies.