# Placentomics using a novel method to isolate circulating placental derivatives

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · 2020 · $611,183

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The placenta plays crucial roles in ensuring adequate nourishment, protection, and support of the developing
fetus, with important ramifications for long-term health. Once thought to be a perfect barrier between fetus and
mother, the placenta is now understood to be involved in and perhaps to facilitate fetal-maternal
communication through direct interaction and exchange of cells, extracellular vesicles, DNA and RNA. The
quantity and type of placental material transferred to maternal circulation thus provides a window into the
function of the placenta itself. The overarching goal of this proposal is to systematically evaluate the
transcriptome and the epigenome of trophoblast cells and placental-derived extracellular vesicles in the
maternal circulation during pregnancy, harnessing a novel, high-throughput approach for isolation of placental
material. We will bring together an interdisciplinary team with expertise in bioengineering, obstetrics and
reproductive sciences, genome sciences, and genomic biostatistics to study a meticulously defined cohort of
women enrolled in the biorepository of the Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth (GAPPS).
Additionally, women with preeclampsia, a major manifestation of placental dysfunction, will serve as a
comparator population. From these subjects, we will evaluate characteristics of nucleic acids, extracellular
vesicles, and trophoblast cells transferred from the fetus to the mother during pregnancy. Specifically, we will
isolate circulating trophoblast cells (using ensemble-decision aliquot ranking, eDAR) and syncytiotrophoblast-
derived extracellular vesicles (using temperature-responsive enrichment module, TREM) from maternal
circulation during pregnancy. Transcriptomic and epigenomic analysis of placental-derived material will
establish foundational information about placentomics during pregnancy and inform future studies.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9963051
- **Project number:** 5R01HD089679-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Daniel T Chiu
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $611,183
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-20 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9963051

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9963051, Placentomics using a novel method to isolate circulating placental derivatives (5R01HD089679-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9963051. Licensed CC0.

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