A picture of Professor Ben-Jebria

Abdellaziz Ben-Jebria

Ph.D. and State D.Sc. Biophysics, University of Pierre & Marie Curie, Paris, 1979 & 1984
Professor of Chemical Engineering

Department of Chemical Engineering
132B Fenske Laboratory
Tel: (814) 863-8049
Fax: (814) 865-7846
E-Mail: axb23@psu.edu

AWARDS/ HONORS

  1. Student Research Fellowship: awarded by the French DGRST (Equiv. US NSF),
    9/1978-8/1980.
  2. State Doctorate of Science with Very Honorable Distinction: Awarded by the
    University of Pierre and Marie Curie (Paris) in recognition of advanced scholarly
    research in biophysics, October 26, 1984.
  3. Visiting Scientist Fellowship: Sponsored by the French DRET Research Program
    achieved in USA, 9/1987-8/1988.
  4. Visiting Scholar Award: Sponsored by the Philippe Foundation, Paris and New York,
    9/1988-8/1989.
  5. Nightingale Prize: Best paper of the year 1989 selected and sponsored by the
    BiologicalEngineering Society and the International Federation for Medical and
    Biological Engineering, September27, 1989.
  6. Outstanding Research Award in Drug Delivery: Sponsored by
    Controlled Release Society and CRS-3M Pharmaceuticals, June 22, 1998.
  7. Thomas T. Mercer Joint Prize: Award recognizing excellence in pharmaceutical
    aerosols and inhalable materials, co-sponsored by the American Association for
    Aerosol Research (AAAR) and the International Society for Aerosols in Medicine
    (ISAM),November 8, 2000.

Research Interest
1) Inhalation Toxicology: Dr Ben-Jebria's main research interest is focused on the inhalation toxicology of air pollution. The effort is directed at understanding the mechanisms governing the transport dynamics of various pollutants into the respiratory system as well as their reaction kinetics with the substrates composing the fluid lining the airways of human lungs. Non-invasive clinical experimental methods are being developed to determine the longitudinal distribution of outdoor and indoor air pollutants absorption in human intact lungs under a variety of exposure situations (effects of: inhaled concentration, respiratory flow, exposure time) and physiological conditions (effects of breathing: at rest, during exercise, via oral versus nasal pathway). Because one of the hypotheses we want to test is whether the anatomical features of people respiratory tracts influence the dose distribution of the inhaled pollutants, we have designed non-invasive techniques to measure the volumes of three compartments of the respiratory tract (upper, central and distal airways) of each subject participating in the study; and because we want to test another hypothesis that the differences between subjects in their physiological responses to a pollutant exposure could be explained by the differences in their lung dosimetries, we are measuring the pulmonary function performance of each subject using spirometry tests. Concurrently with the experimental protocols, mathematical modeling and simulations are being developed to grasp the key fundamental transfer and reaction parameters that govern the uptake processes of those toxic chemicals in tissue lung airways. The objective is to formulate the relationships between tissue dose and the composition of the fluid lining the airways (antioxidants: uric acid, ascorbic acid, mucin, glutathione) as well as the physiological response.


2) Experimental Allergic Asthma: Dr. Ben-Jebria's principal clinical research motivation is centered around the factors inducing airway hyper-reactivity that often occurs in people with asthma, the largest respiratory disease. Asthma is indeed gaining prevalence in the U.S. with the greatest increase seen among inner city minority ethnics. Among other factors, a complex interplay of genetic, socio-economic, behavioral, and environmental factors may play a role in this increase. Patients with allergic asthma manifest airway inflammation, and show increases in eosinophils, TH2 cells and cytokines, increased mucus secretion in the lung and elevated serum IgE, suggesting a prominent role for the immune system and T cells in the pathology of this disease. The tyrosine kinase ITK represents a class of enzymes that are tractable to pharmaceutical intervention, and has been implicated in both the activation of na?ve T cells as well as in the potential differentiation of TH2 cells and production of Interleukins IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13. We hypothesize that if ITK regulates the activation of T cell, the development of TH2 cells and the production of TH2 type cytokines, it may logically contribute to the pathological conditions that favor the development of asthma. Using transgenic inducible mice along with mice lacking ITK we are therefore investigating the role of ITK in the development of allergic asthma in this murine model. To this end, airway smooth muscle contractility (in response to a variety of agonists) and arachidonic acid metabolites (in the bronchoalvealr lavage fluid) are being measured.

Patents

  1. Edwards D.A., G. Caponetti, J Hrkach, N. Lotan, J. Hanes, A. Ben-Jebria, R. Langer. Aerodynamically Light Particles for Pulmonary Drug Delivery. U.S. Patent No. 5,874,064 (Granted February 23, 1999).
  2. Edwards D.A., G. Caponetti, J Hrkach, N Lotan, J. Hanes, A. Ben-Jebria, R. Langer. Aerodynamically Light Particles for Pulmonary Drug Delivery. U.S. Patent No. 6,136,295 (Granted October 24, 2000).
  3. Edwards D.A., G. Caponetti, J Hrkach, N. Lotan, J. Hanes, R. Langer, A. Ben-Jebria. Porous Particles for Deep Lung Delivery. U.S. Patent No. 6,254,854 (Granted July 3, 2001).
  4. Edwards D.A., G. Caponetti, J. Hrkach, N Lotan, J. Hanes, A. Ben-Jebria, R. Langer.Aerodynamically Light Particles for Pulmonary Drug Delivery. U.S. Patent No. 6,399,102 (Granted June 4, 2002).
  5. Edwards D.A., G. Caponetti, J Hrkach, N. Lotan, J. Hanes, R. Langer, A. Ben-Jebria. Porous Particles Comprising Excipients for Deep Lung Delivery. U.S. Patent No. 6,436,443 (Granted August 20, 2002).
  6. Edwards D.A., G. Caponetti, J Hrkach, N. Lotan, J. Hanes, R. Langer, A. Ben-Jebria. Amorphous Porous Particles for Deep Lung Delivery. U.S. Patent No. 6,447,752 (Granted September 10, 2002).
  7. Edwards D.A., G. Caponetti, J Hrkach, N. Lotan, J. Hanes, R. Langer, A. Ben-Jebria. Porous Particles for Deep Lung Delivery. U.S. Patent No. 6,447,753 (Granted September 10, 2002).
  8. Edwards D.A., G. Caponetti, J Hrkach, N. Lotan, J. Hanes, A. Ben-Jebria, R. Langer. Aerodynamically Light Particles for Pulmonary Drug Delivery. U.S. Patent No. 6,503,480 (Granted January 7, 2003).

Publications

  1. Ben-Jebria A., M. Brès, C. Hatzfeld. Mesure de coefficients de diffusion binaire entre l'oxygène et un autre gaz. Bull. Europ. Physiopath. Respir. 15: 639-647 (1979).
  2. Ben-Jebria A., A. Mallet, J.L. Steimer, J.F. Boisvieux, C. Hatzfeld. Quantitative analysis of gas transport in the central airways. Computer simulation and experimental results. In Gas Exchange Function of Normal and Diseased Lungs, edited by J. Piiper and P. Scheid. S. Karger Publisher, Prog. Respir. Res. vol. 16, pp. 96-102 (1981).
  3. Ben-Jebria A., A. Mallet, J.L. Steimer, C. Hatzfeld, J.F. Boisvieux. Finite element simulation of gas transport in proximal respiratory airways : comparison with experimental data. Comput. Biomed. Res. 14: 493-505 (1981).
  4. Ben-Jebria A., C. Walton, B. Mensch, C. Hatzfeld. Injecteurs d'emboles de gaz inerte et marqué. Bull. Europ. Physiopath. Respir., 17: 261-267 (1981).
  5. Ben-Jebria A., M. Thiriet, J.C. Bonnet, M. Brès, B.F. Visser, C. Hatzfeld. Extraction of tissue compartment from multibreath N2 washout curves in healthy subjects. Bull. Europ. Physiopath. Respir. 18: 291-302 (1982).
  6. Ben-Jebria A., G. Bedig, B. Mensch, C. Hatzfeld. Dispersion d'un embole radioactif dans l'oropharynx et le larynx : recherche de la fonction de transfert. J. Biophys. Med. Nucl. 6: 51-57 (1982).
  7. Ben-Jebria A., M. Brès. Computer simulation of ternary diffusion in distal airways of the human lung. Int. J. Biomed. Comput. 13: 403-419 (1982).
  8. Ben-Jebria A. Convective gas mixing in the airways of the human lung. Comparison of laminar and turbulent dispersion. IEEE Trans. Biomed. Engin. 7: 498-506 (1984).
  9. Ben-Jebria A. Pulmonary gas mixing during spontaneous breathing and high?frequency ventilation. Int. J. Biomed. Comput. 15: 35-50 (1984).
  10. Ben-Jebria A., P. Varène. Analytical simulation of longitudinal gas mixing in the human central airways. Int. J. Biomed. Comput. 15: 405-417 (1984).
  11. Ben-Jebria A. Dispersion gazeuse dans les voies aériennes centrales du poumon humain. Etude in-vivo. Bull. Europ. Physiopath. Respir. 20: 263-269 (1984).
  12. Ben-Jebria A. A mechanical approach to the longitudinal dispersion of gas in human airways. J. Biomechanics 18: 399-405 (1985).
  13. Brès M., A. Ben-Jebria. Stochastic simulation of Taylor's dispersion in the airways. Comput. Biomed. Res. 18: 166-175 (1985).
  14. Maillard D., A. Ben-Jebria., C. Hatzfeld. Effect of He?O2 breathing on blood gas and ventilation during exercise in normal man. Bull. Europ. Physiopath. Respir. 22: 107-113 (1986).
  15. Ben-Jebria A. Gas mixing in the human upper airways. Respiration : Int. Rev. Thor. Dis. 50: 273-278 (1986).
  16. Ben-Jebria A. Simulations of steady quaternary gas diffusion between alveolar and blood compartments. Int. J. Biomed. Comput. 20: 97-105 (1987).
  17. Ben-Jebria A., Z. Tabka, P. Techoueyres. Steady pressure?flow relationships in a cast of the upper and central human airways. Int. J. Biomed. Comput. 20: 211-224 (1987).
  18. Ben-Jebria A., C. Kays. Effect of resident gas density on CO2 elimination during high?frequency oscillation: a model study. Int. J. Biomed. Comput. 21: 137-151 (1987).
  19. Tabka Z., A. Ben-Jebria , H. Guénard. Effect of breathing dry warm air on respiratory water loss at rest and during exercise. Respir. Physiol. 67: 115-125 (1987).
  20. Tabka Z., A. Ben-Jebria, C. Kays, Guénard. Asthme post-exercice chez l'enfant : conséquences respiratoires de l'inhalation d'air sec. Science & Sports 2: 185-192 (1987).
  21. Ben-Jebria A., C. Kays. Effective carbon dioxide washout by high?frequency mechanical ventilation. Med. & Biol. Engin. & Comput. 25: 655-660 (1987).
  22. Ben-Jebria A., C. Henry, J. Petit, M. Gioux, F. Devars, L. Traissac. Physical and aerodynamic features of the Bordeaux Voice prosthesis. Artificial Organs 11: 383-387 (1987).
  23. Ben-Jebria A., M.L. Choukroun, Z. Tabka, J.S. Ultman. High-frequency oscillatory pressure-flow relationships in the airways of laryngo-tracheo-bronchial tree casts. Med. & Biol. Engin. & Comput. 26: 476-482 (1988).
  24. Tabka Z., A. Ben-Jebria, J. Vergeret, H. Guénard. Effect of dry warm air on respiratory water loss in children with exercise?induced asthma. Chest 94: 81-86 (1988).
  25. Simone A.F., J.S. Ultman, A. Ben-Jebria. Bronchial distribution of gas mixing in a model of the upper and central airways. J. Appl. Physiol. 65: 1693-1702 (1988).
  26. Ben-Jebria A., M. Gioux, C. Henry, F. Devars, L. Traissac. New prosthesis with low airflow resistance for voice restoration following total laryngectomy. Med. & Biol. Engin. & Comput. 27: 204-206 (1989).
  27. Ben-Jebria A., J.S. Ultman. Fast-responding chemiluminescent ozone analyzer for respiratory applications. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 60: 3004-3011 (1989).
  28. Ben-Jebria A., S.C. Hu, J.S. Ultman. Improvements in chemiluminescent ozone analyzer for respiratory applications. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 61: 3435-3439 (1990).
  29. Marthan R., A. Ben-Jebria. Distribution de l'ozone dans les voies aériennes ; effets sur la mécanique ventilatoire et la réactivité bronchique. Pollut. Atmos. 128: 445-448 (1990).
  30. Ben-Jebria A., A.P. Full, D.D. DeMaria, B.A. Ball, J.S. Ultman. Dynamics of sulfur dioxide absorption in excised porcine tracheae. Environ. Res. 53: 119-134 (1990).
  31. Ben-Jebria A. Gas mixing in lung model ventilated by high frequency oscillation ; effect of tidal volume, frequency and molecular diffusivity. Med. & Biol. Engin. & Comput. 29: 75-78 (1991).
  32. Belaguid A., A. Ben-Jebria, A.M. Cros, C. Boudey, H. Guénard. High?frequency jet ventilation and upper tracheal stenosis: A model study. Intensive Care Med. 17: 479-483 (1991).
  33. Ben-Jebria A., S.C. Hu, E.L. Kitzmiller, J.S. Ultman. Ozone absorption into excised porcine and sheep tracheae by a bolus?response method. Environ. Res. 56: 144-157 (1991).
  34. Hu S.C., A. Ben-Jebria, J.S. Ultman. Simulation of ozone uptake distribution in the human airways by orthogonal collocation on finite elements. Comput. Biomed. Res. 25: 264-278 (1992).
  35. Hu S.C., A. Ben-Jebria, J.S. Ultman. Longitudinal distribution of ozone absorption in the lung: quiet respiration in healthy subjects. J. Appl. Physiol. 73: 1655-1661 (1992).
  36. Ben-Jebria A., R. Marthan, J.P. Savineau. Effect of in vitro nitrogen dioxide exposure on human bronchial smooth muscle response. Am. Rev. Respir. Dis. 146: 378-382 (1992).
  37. Ben-Jebria A., R. Marthan, M. Rossetti, J.P. Savineau, J.S. Ultman. Effect of in vitro exposure to acrolein on carbachol responses in rat trachealis muscle. Respir. Physiol. 93: 111-123 (1993).
  38. Ben-Jebria A., R. Marthan, M. Rossetti, J.P. Savineau. Effect of passive sensitization on the mechanical activity of human isolated bronchial smooth muscle induced by substance P, neurokinin A and VIP. Br. J. Pharmacol. 109: 131-136 (1993).
  39. Hu S.C., J.S. Ultman, A. Ben-Jebria. Single?breath bolus exposure for noninvasive determination of ozone dose distribution. In Advances in Controlled Clinical Inhalation Studies, edited by U. Mohr, D.V. Bates, H. Fabel and M.J. Utel. Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 309-316 (1993).
  40. Ben-Jebria A., R. Marthan, M. Rossetti, J.P. Savineau, J.S. Ultman. Human bronchial smooth muscle responsiveness after in vitro exposure to acrolein. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 149: 382-386 (1994).
  41. Fayon M., A. Ben-Jebria, C. Elleau, D. Carles, J.L. Demarquez, J.P. Savineau, R. Marthan. Human airway smooth muscle responsiveness in neonatal lung specimens. Am. J. Physiol. (Lung Cell. Mol. Physiol.) 267:L180-L186 (1994).
  42. Hu S.C., A. Ben-Jebria, J.S. Ultman. Longitudinal distribution of ozone absorption in the lung: effects of respiratory flow. J. Appl. Physiol. 77: 574-583 (1994).
  43. Kabel J.R., A. Ben-Jebria, J.S. Ultman. Longitudinal distribution of ozone absorption in the lung: comparison of nasal and oral quiet breathing. J. Appl. Physiol. 77: 2584-2592 (1994).
  44. Ben-Jebria A., J.R. Kabel, J.S. Ultman. Regional human lung dosimetry of inhaled ozone: the scrubbing efficiency of the nose. In Nasal Toxicity and Dosimetry of Inhaled Xenobiotics, edited by F.J. Miller. Taylor & Francis Publishers, Inhal. Toxicol. 6 (suppl.), pp. 386-389 (1994).
  45. Ben-Jebria A., Y. Crozet, M.L. Eskew, B.L. Rudeen, J.S. Ultman. Acrolein-induced smooth muscle hyperresponsiveness and eicosanoid release in excised ferret tracheae. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 135: 35-44 (1995).
  46. Abeles S., J.S. Ultman, A. Ben-Jebria, S.C. Hu. Modeling ozone distribution in intact human lungs. In Tropospheric Ozone: Critical Issues in the Regulatory Process, Edited by J.J. Vostal. Air & Waste Management Association. VIP 54, pp. 444-452 (1996).
  47. Asplund P., A. Ben-Jebria, J.S. Ultman. A portable inhalation system for personal exposure to ozone. Arch. Environ. Health 51: 138-145 (1996).
  48. 48. Asplund P., A. Ben-Jebria, M.L. Rigas, J.S. Ultman. Longitudinal distribution of ozone absorption in the lung: Effect of continuous exposure. Arch. Environ. Health 51: 431-438 (1996).
  49. Ben-Jebria A., Y. Crozet, M.L. Eskew, J.S. Ultman. Epithelium-linked smooth muscle hyperresponsiveness in ferret tracheae exposed to acrolein. Environ. Toxicol. Pharmacol. 2: 49-57 (1996).
  50. Bush M.L., T. Raybold, S. Abeles, S-C. Hu, A. Ben-Jebria, J.S. Ultman. Longitudinal distribution of ozone absorption in the lung: Simulation with a single-path model. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 140: 219-226 (1996).
  51. Bush M.L., P.T. Asplund, K.A. Miles, A. Ben-Jebria, J.S. Ultman. Longitudinal distribution of O3 absorption in the lung: Gender difference and intersubject variability. J. Appl. Physiol. 81: 1651-1657 (1996).
  52. Rigas M.L., A. Ben-Jebria, J.S. Ultman. Longitudinal distribution of ozone absorption in the lung: Effects on nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and ozone exposures. Arch. Environ. Health 52: 173-178 (1997).
  53. Schlesinger R.B., A. Ben-Jebria, A.R. Dahl, M.B. Snipes, J.S. Ultman. Deposition of inhaled toxicants. Chapter 12 In Handbook of Human Toxicology, edited by E.J. Massaro. CRC Press, pp. 493-550 (1997).
  54. Edwards D.A., J. Hanes, G. Caponetti, J. Hrkach, A. Ben-Jebria, M.L. Eskew, J. Mintzes, D. Deaver, N. Lotan, R. Langer. Large porous particles for pulmonary drug delivery. Science 276: 1868-1871 (1997).
  55. MacDougal C.S., M.L. Rigas, A. Ben-Jebria, J.S. Ultman. A respiratory ozone analyzer optimized for high resolution and swift dynamic response during exercise conditions. Arch. Environ. Health 53: 161-174 (1998).
  56. Edwards D.A., D. Chen, J. Wang, A. Ben-Jebria. Controlled-release inhalation aerosols. Respir. Drug Deliv. VI: 187-192 (1998).
  57. Edwards D.A., A. Ben-Jebria, R. Langer. Recent advances in pulmonary drug delivery using large, porous inhaled particles. J. Appl. Physiol. 84: 379-385 (1998).
  58. Ben-Jebria A., L. Satchithanandam, R.J. Gusic, T.R. Gervais, J.S. Ultman. Kinetics of protein depletion in rat bronchoalveolar lavage fluid following in vitro exposure to nitrogen dioxide. Environ. Toxicol. Pharmacol. 6: 177-185 (1998).
  59. Nodelman V., A. Ben-Jebria, J.S. Ultman. Fast-responding thermionic chlorine analyzer for respiratory applications. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 69: 3978-3983 (1998).
  60. Wang J., A. Ben-Jebria, D.A. Edwards. Inhalation of Estradiol for sustained systemic delivery. J. Aerosol Med. 12: 27-36 (1999).
  61. Ben-Jebria A., D. Chen, M.L. Eskew, R. Vanbever, R. Langer, D.A. Edwards. Large porous particles for sustained protection from carbachol-induced bronchoconstriction in guinea pigs. Pharm. Res. 16: 555-561 (1999).
  62. Vanbever R., A. Ben-Jebria, J.D. Mintzes, R. Langer, D.A. Edwards. Sustained-release of insulin from insoluble inhaled particles. Drug Develop. Res. 48: 178-185 (1999).
  63. Ben-Jebria A., M.L. Eskew, D.A. Edwards. Inhalation system for pulmonary aerosol drug delivery in rodents using large porous particles. Aerosol Sci. Technol. 32: 421-433 (2000).
  64. Rigas M., S.N. Catlin, A. Ben-Jebria, J.S. Ultman. Ozone uptake in the intact human respiratory tract: relationship between inhaled dose and actual dose. J. Appl. Physiol. 88: 2015-2022 (2000).
  65. Santiago L.Y., M.C. Hann, A. Ben-Jebria, J.S. Ultman. Ozone absorption in the human nose during unidirectional airflow. J. Appl. Physiol. 91: 725-732 (2001).
  66. Bush M.L., W. Zhang, A. Ben-Jebria, J.S. Ultman. Longitudinal distribution of ozone and chlorine in the human respiratory tract: simulation of nasal and oral breathing with the single-path diffusion model. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 173: 137-145 (2001).