During the summer of 2024, we had the honour to have Prof. Damialis as a Guest Professor at the Institute of Environmental Medicine and Integrative Health (TUNE) directed by Prof. Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann at the University of Augsburg.

Prof. Damialis worked as the leader of the Aerobiology working group at TUNE institute from Nov 2015 to Nov 2021 and although he is currently Assistant Professor of Terrestrial Ecology and Climate Change at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece), both universities cooperate very closely.

The aim of Prof. Damialis' stay was to work together on ongoing cooperative projects, especially in the field of bioaerosol exposure. In concrete terms, Prof. Damialis is the international mentor of the IMPACCT project, funded within the framework of the initiative “Nachwuchsgruppen Globaler Wandel: Klima, Umwelt und Gesundheit” of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in January 2023. Together with the young group leader Dr. Maria Plaza, they focus on joining forces to use the latest technologies in particle detection and big data management to better understand the complex relationships between pollen concentration in the atmosphere, its distribution in different environments and the symptoms of allergy sufferers in a changing environment.

During the visit, data was analyzed in a detailed study on the distribution of fungal spores in the Bavarian region and on the environmental factors responsible. In addition, another joint manuscript on an earlier study using pollen measurements with an ultra-light aircraft at different altitudes, in collaboration with researchers from Denmark, was completed and submitted for publication, and has very recently been accepted.

In addition, PD Dr. Stefanie Gilles completed a manuscript on the co-exposure to grass pollen and mold spores (“Picnic study”) and analyzed data for a study on the biotic and abiotic influences on pollen of birch individuals at different locations within Europe (Pollen Pals Project). In addition, Prof. Damialis is currently setting up an EU-COST project entitled ?“Synergies of multiple biological exposures and impacts on human and environmental health”, in which members of TUNE will be involved and for which they have brainstormed together.

Finally, together with Dr. Plaza and Dr. Gilles, several work packages have been developed as part of the ongoing Working Group on Aerobiology and Pollution of the EAACI Working Group and an associated Task Force that Prof. Damialis has been leading for almost two years. This includes, among other things: conducting a comprehensive meta-analysis on the topic “Global pollen sensitization rates: what we do and don't know” and creating an interactive tool to display pollen calendars and allergenicity indices in Europe.

The collaboration between both universities is a guarantee for the development of more and better projects, especially those related to the effect of climate change on airborne bio-particles and health impacts; sharing resources, knowledge and experiences is essential to offer a more complete and higher quality research, as well as to continue establishing synergies to develop joint research projects.

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