# Metabolomic Signatures Linking Air Pollution, Obesity and Diabetes

> **NIH NIH R00** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · 2021 · $248,987

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
The emergent evidence indicates that exposures to regional air pollutants (AP) and near-roadway air pollutants
(NRAP) are associated with the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Previous studies suggest that
prenatal and early life exposures to AP may play critical roles in the etiology of childhood obesity. However, the
mechanism linking AP exposures and obesity and diabetes is unknown. Studies investigating the pathogenesis
of the AP-related obesity and diabetes etiology are urgently needed. Metabolomics technology provides
epidemiologists and clinicians an unprecedented opportunity to examine the metabolic pathways linking
exposures and disease traits. In this proposal, the candidate proposes to identify key metabolic pathways
underlying the associations of childhood AP exposures with body fat, ectopic fat and diabetes traits such as
glucose concentrations and insulin resistance via the metabolomics approach. Studies involved in the K99 and
R00 phases encompass two important developmental periods (neonatal and adolescence). Therefore, this
work may elucidate the critical periods of AP exposures that accelerate and/or alter the course of disease, and
will potentially inform us with novel molecular targets for early intervention and prevention of obesity and
diabetes. In the K99 mentored phase, the candidate will pair new measurement of targeted metabolomics of
amino acids and fatty acids with existing AP exposure data and obesity and diabetes phenotypes in an
ongoing substudy of the prospective Children’s Health Study (CHS), which is examining the metabolic health
impacts of AP exposure in Southern California. Targeted metabolomics will be used to identify pathway(s) of
amino acid and fatty acid metabolism that are associated with cumulative exposures to regional AP and NRAP
from prenatal to adolescence, as well as metabolic disease traits in 200 CHS adolescents. Additionally,
specific metabolites such as acylcarnitines and fatty acids will be analyzed to examine the hypothesized
mechanism linking air pollution and obesity and metabolic disorders, such as inflammatory activation and leptin
resistance. The proposed training objectives during the K99 phase, which includes personal mentorship,
didactic courses and research seminars, meetings, and workshops, are designed to enhance the candidate’s
knowledge and skills in four essential areas including 1) exposure assessment and environmental
epidemiology, 2) metabolomics, 3) statistical modeling specific to metabolomics data and mediation analysis,
and 4) career development. The accomplishment of the proposed training in the K99 phase will ensure the
candidate to successfully conduct the K99/R00 research projects and to be well-equipped for future transition
into an independent environmental health scientist. In the R00 phase, the candidate will apply the training and
skills developed during the K99 phase on a prospective birth cohort study, the Maternal and Devel...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10147076
- **Project number:** 5R00ES027870-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Zhanghua Chen
- **Activity code:** R00 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $248,987
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-12-01 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10147076

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10147076, Metabolomic Signatures Linking Air Pollution, Obesity and Diabetes (5R00ES027870-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10147076. Licensed CC0.

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