# Particulate Air Pollution, Pregnancy Outcomes, and the Role of Placental Extracellular microRNAs

> **NIH NIH K99** · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · 2020 · $104,224

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Preterm birth and low birthweight are associated with increased morbidity and mortality in infancy and are risk
factors for chronic disease across the life course. Maternal exposure to particulate air pollution during
pregnancy has been associated with these adverse pregnancy outcomes. Although exposure to air pollution
varies on a daily basis, the majority of studies have focused on the effects of cumulative exposure averaged
across pregnancy. The underlying pathways linking air pollution with adverse pregnancy outcomes are
incompletely understood, however, growing evidence supports epigenetic dysregulation, including altered
microRNA (miRNA) expression, as one putative mechanism. During pregnancy, miRNAs of placental origin
can be packaged into vesicles and trafficked to distant targets in the maternal and fetal systems, where they
are thought to play a key role in cellular communication. However, the potential role of placental miRNAs in air
pollution-pregnancy outcome relationships is unknown. The goals of the proposed research are to 1)
investigate windows of prenatal susceptibility to particulate air pollution exposure, and 2) examine whether
altered extracellular vesicle (EV) encapsulated miRNAs of placental origin and placenta tissue miRNAs play a
role in these relationships. During the mentored K99 phase, Dr. Cowell will leverage data from 800 mother-
newborn pairs enrolled in the urban, predominantly minority PRogramming of Intergenerational Stress
Mechanisms (PRISM) pregnancy cohort to investigate spatially (1x1 km) and temporally (daily) resolved fine
particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure in relation to fetal growth, birthweight, and gestational age. To accomplish
this, Dr. Cowell will train in methods for identifying windows of susceptibility, including distributive lag models
(DLMs) and recently developed DLM extensions for examining interactions (e.g., PM2.5 х sex). She will also
train in computational methods for analyzing transcriptomic data, which she will apply in the R00 phase. During
this phase, Dr. Cowell will investigate whether placental miRNAs, measured using RNA-seq, serve as a link
between air pollution exposure and pregnancy outcomes using mediation analysis and will examine effects on
the placental miRNA-mRNA regulatory network. She will also characterize changes in placental EV miRNAs
across pregnancy and examine PM2.5 exposure in relation to change. Results from this research will inform
public health strategies for reducing exposure and mitigating its impact during the most sensitive
developmental periods. The proposed studies will also provide insight on how PM2.5 operates at the biological
level and may contribute to the identification of early and informative biomarkers of pregnancy risk. Dr.
Cowell's mentoring team has expertise in air pollution exposure, susceptibility modeling, transcriptomics,
placental signaling and neonatology. This team will provide on-site training tailored to the proposed ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10040546
- **Project number:** 1K99ES032029-01
- **Recipient organization:** ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI
- **Principal Investigator:** Whitney Cowell
- **Activity code:** K99 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $104,224
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-11 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10040546

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10040546, Particulate Air Pollution, Pregnancy Outcomes, and the Role of Placental Extracellular microRNAs (1K99ES032029-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10040546. Licensed CC0.

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