Home Department: undeclared
Mentor: Michael Snyder (Genetics)

“The Beneficial Exposome — A Pilot Multifaceted Exploration of the Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Essential Oils”

Despite growing research on harmful environmental exposures, the effects of positive exposures—the “Beneficial Exposome”—remain largely understudied. Essential oils such as hinoki have long been used in aromatherapy to reduce stress and promote relaxation, but their biological effects on human health are not well understood. Tyler’s study investigates how regular exposure to essential oils influences inflammation, cardiovascular health, and immune function through an interdisciplinary framework integrating wearable health monitoring, cellular immunology, microbiome analysis, and metabolomics. Participants diffuse hinoki and lemon oil nightly while wearable devices track physiological changes such as resting heart rate, heart rate variability, and sleep quality. In parallel, fresh PBMCs are treated with hinoki oil to evaluate changes in pro-inflammatory cytokines and immune signaling. Tyler’s hypothesis is that combining these human, cellular, and multi-omic approaches will help elucidate the mechanisms by which beneficial environmental exposures reduce chronic inflammation and improve long-term health outcomes.