# Assessment of fetal brain health via circulating exRNA carriers for opioid use disorder in pregnancy

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · 2024 · $714,855

## Abstract

Project Summary
 We are submitting this proposal in response to PAR-20-147 (Extracellular RNA carrier subclasses in
processes relevant to Substance Use Disorders or HIV infection).
 The opioid epidemic in the United States has far reaching consequences for public health. In recent decades,
the rate of newborns born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) has increased dramatically. However, not
all neonates exposed to opioids during gestation develop NAS or require treatment. NAS is a complex and
idiosyncratic condition, and it is currently not possible to predict even at birth which infants will require
pharmacotherapy or be susceptible to its worst outcomes. Accessible biomarkers for fetal brain and CNS
development during opioid exposure would be highly valuable for deciding which infants will need opioid therapy
for NAS and making personalized risk assessments for opioid exposed infants. They could also shed light on
the biological pathways that lead to the worst effects of opioid exposure during gestation.
 Extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from the Fetal brain and central Nervous system (FNEV) can cross the
fetal/placental barrier and can be isolated from maternal blood. They represent a powerful accessible tool to
provide insight on fetal neurodevelopment and damage. However, EVs are highly heterogeneous, with a diverse
set of surface proteins and intra-vesicular cargo, such as RNA. Current approaches to the isolation and study of
EVs lack the necessary sensitivity and precision to characterize EV subpopulations. To address the current
limitations of EV analyses, we developed a high-throughput single-EV flow analyzer and sorter capable of
detecting single dye molecules.
 This new technical capability allows us to exquisitely define the profiles of plasma FNEV during pregnancy.
Our studies could lead to assays that define NAS risk pre-birth and bring new insights into the mechanistic
pathways of fetal brain injury.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10915013
- **Project number:** 5R01DA057748-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Daniel T Chiu
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $714,855
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-01 → 2028-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10915013

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10915013, Assessment of fetal brain health via circulating exRNA carriers for opioid use disorder in pregnancy (5R01DA057748-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10915013. Licensed CC0.

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