NJIT Study Probes Genetic 'Smoking Gun,' Health Risks of Vaping Among Gen Z

We all know how bad smoking is for you, but what about vaping?

A new study at New Jersey Institute of technology (NJIT) led by forensic anthropologist and biochemist Sara Zapico is exploring the potential long-term health risks of e-cigarettes and how they might manifest in young adults at the genetic level, which up until now isn't fully understood.

With funding from the New Jersey Health Foundation, Zapico is investigating how vaping may alter patterns in gene expression in Gen Z and young Millennial users — insights from which could reveal early warning signs of cancer and respiratory diseases long before traditional testing methods detect them.

While e-cigarettes were originally marketed as a safer alternative to traditional smoking, vaping has since been linked to various respiratory issues, potential lung damage and increased cancer risks. In New Jersey alone, 59 confirmed vaping-associated illnesses have now been reported, while national data shows 1.63 million high school and middle school students currently use e-cigarettes.

“Despite some evidence we already have, further studies are needed to investigate the real long-term impact of e-cigarette use on health,” said Zapico, assistant professor at the Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science. “We’re essentially trying to understand what's happening inside the body at a molecular level that we can't see with more traditional testing.”

At the heart of Zapico's latest study is epigenetics — a field that examines how environmental factors can change how our genes function without altering the DNA sequence itself. Her research in this field has already led to breakthroughs in the world of forensic science, recently advancing techniques to analyze teeth to more accurately estimate a person’s age-at-death.

“Epigenetics is essentially changing how we read the DNA without changing its letters,” Zapico explains. “When someone vapes, it may change the epigenetic patterns. This study will focus specifically on DNA methylation patterns. These are chemical compounds, called methyl groups, that attach to one of the letters of DNA, cytosine, leaving a ‘label’ or ‘mark.’ The presence or absence of these marks act like stop and go signals, telling cells whether to produce certain proteins or not.”

While research has shown specific methylation patterns in tobacco smokers that can predict diseases, it remains largely unknown whether similar or different patterns may be found in e-cigarette users.

Sample collection for the study recently got underway at a campus event “The Smoking Gun of Vaping,” organized in collaboration with NJIT's student-led fitness club, Girl Gains — part of a national organization that promotes women's health and wellness through weightlifting at universities across the U.S.

The research project aims to include 180 participants aged 18-30, equally divided among non-smokers, smokers and vapers, with student-athletes among the participants.

“This research really aligns with our club's focus on health and fitness, so we wanted to get involved as soon as the opportunity arose,” said Maya Hassan '25, a McNair Scholar majoring in biology who's conducting forensic body fluid identification research at Zapico's ForenBios Lab and serves as Girl Gains’ secretary. “Student involvement in health research that affects our generation like this can really make a difference — sometimes the message just connects better when it comes from your peers.”

Zapico says the study’s comprehensive analysis will examine nearly 950,000 different DNA methylation sites to learn how vaping affects young adults at the epigenetic level, comparing these patterns to those found in traditional smoking.

“We're looking at a young population, so we might find different markers than previous studies that examined people who already had lung cancer or other diseases,” Zapico explained. “We also want to include some physically active participants to see if regular exercise might affect these genetic markers differently in smokers or vapers,” Zapico added. “It's possible that physical activity could influence how the body responds to these substances.”

Results from the study are expected by fall 2025, which Zapico says may lead to a larger-scale study with a view toward preventing vaping-related illnesses. 

“The beauty of epigenetics is its flexibility,” Zapico added. “If we can identify these markers early enough, we might be able to develop interventions that help reverse negative changes before they lead to serious health issues. That's the real goal of this research.”

Additional sample collection events are being organized in collaboration with NJIT's Forensic Science Student Association. Students interested in participating in the study can contact Zapico directly to donate samples.