# Metabolomics of World Trade Center-Lung Injury: Biomarker Validation, Longitudinal Assessment and Dietary Intervention

> **NIH ALLCDC U01** · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · 2020 · $598,376

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The diagnosis and treatment of World Trade Center (WTC) related diseases are a significant public health
concern. Although we have discovered molecular determinants of particulate matter (PM) related disease,
much remains to be learned about how the variants impact disease. Biomarkers of metabolic syndrome and
vascular disease expressed soon after WTC exposure predict development of WTC-Lung Injury (WTC-LI).
However, the metabolome remains an untapped resource that has the potential to comprehensively
characterize many aspects of WTC-LI. Metabolites have the distinct advantage of being more proximal
markers of disease than genomic or meta-genomic changes. Metabolomic profiling, the systematic analysis of
all metabolites, has been successful at identifying biomarkers for many diseases. To date, there are few
metabolomics studies of particulate lung disease. The overarching hypothesis of this proposal is that
metabolomic profiling, integrated with other molecular data, will identify key pathways that elucidate our
understanding of WTC-LI and related lung diseases. Metabolomics will not only inform our understanding of
disease but of therapeutic interventions. We will 1) IDENTIFY individual metabolites and metabolic profiles
associated with WTC-LI using global metabolomic screens in our pilot symptomatic cohort. To improve the
prediction models’ generalizability, we will 2) VALIDATE biomarker data in less homogeneous groups of WTC
exposed FDNY rescue and recovery workers. We will integrate metabolomics data with previously determined
biomarkers in the larger WTC cohort. This will allow us to define a targeted biomarker profile that we will use in
the treatment phase of this proposal. 3) TREAT. We will identify metabolomic signatures through the
integration of environmental, clinical, and targeted metabolomics data. This will be the first metabolomics study
in WTC-exposed subjects, enabling the identification of distinctive patterns in individuals with WTC-LI, and
motivating specific therapeutic approaches for disease management. Predicting future risk of airway injury can
focus monitoring and early treatment on the subset of patients in greatest need of these services. Data
generated by this grant will improve the understanding of WTC-LI and enhance our ability to diagnose and
treat WTC-related airway injury. The overall goal at the end of four years will be to identify a diet/behavioral
intervention that will reduce the burden of disease on health-related quality of life by reducing body mass index
and to identify qualified biosignatures that can be modified. Lessons learned from this investigation can be
validated in other cohorts who face significant public health concerns due to heavy PM exposure, and who may
benefit from the technology-supported behavioral modification methods.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9934063
- **Project number:** 5U01OH011300-04
- **Recipient organization:** NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Anna Nolan
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** ALLCDC
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $598,376
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-07-01 → 2021-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9934063

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9934063, Metabolomics of World Trade Center-Lung Injury: Biomarker Validation, Longitudinal Assessment and Dietary Intervention (5U01OH011300-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9934063. Licensed CC0.

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