# Immune activating syncytiotrophoblast microvesicles and danger associated molecular patterns in preeclampsia risk

> **NIH NIH R01** · TEMPLE UNIV OF THE COMMONWEALTH · 2020 · $583,493

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Despite decades of research, preeclampsia remains a serious public health burden. The only treatment for
preeclampsia is delivery, which often leads to iatrogenic preterm birth. Unfortunately, clinical symptoms do not
indicate progression to severe maternal outcomes. Thus, preeclampsia remains a significant contributor to both
maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. Health risks extend beyond pregnancy, as women with preeclampsia
are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease later in life. There is a significant need to improve
understanding of preeclampsia etiology and to define the heterogeneous nature of the syndrome. As systemic
inflammation and endothelial dysfunction are hallmarks of preeclampsia, novel immune stimulating
syncytiotrophoblast microvesicles (STBEVs) are implicated as potential biomarkers to monitor placental health.
Small studies report elevated plasma STBEVs in preeclampsia after diagnosis and STBEVs trigger inflammation
and endothelial dysfunction in experimental models. However, large scale epidemiologic investigations of
STBEVs and their influence on immune activating components, such as danger associated molecular patterns
(DAMPs), have not been conducted in preeclampsia prior to clinical diagnosis. Our long-term goal is to identify
biomarkers that can distinguish pathophysiological preeclampsia phenotypes. The current proposal will address
gaps in the literature to advance our understanding of STBEVs in preeclampsia. The central hypothesis is that
circulating STBEVs lead to higher levels of circulating DAMPs and antiangiogenic molecules that trigger the
clinical symptoms of preeclampsia. The current proposal will utilize a nested case-control study design and
obtain plasma and prospectively collected metadata from 280 women who developed preeclampsia and 560
controls (selected by incidence density sampling) in the Screening for Obstetric and Pregnancy Endpoints cohort.
The specific aims are to; 1) Determine if STBEVs are elevated in women with preeclampsia prior to clinical
diagnosis. 2) Determine if maternal/fetal factors influence STBEV levels. 3) Determine the relationship between
STBEV's and circulating levels of DAMPs and antiangiogenic molecules previously implicated in preeclampsia.
4) Determine if STBEVs can improve preeclampsia phenotype discrimination. This study design is an efficient
approach to measure STBEVs prior to preeclampsia diagnosis. Innovative features of this study include
measuring STBEVs with increased sensitivity and less sample volume than the standard developed by Knight
et al in 1998, delineating the role of STBEV's in preeclampsia and utilizing latent mixture modelling to identify
preeclampsia phenotypes. Our proposal is significant, as clinical symptoms do not identify women who will
progress to severe outcomes and truly require induced delivery (current treatment). Thus, progression towards
redefining PE may reduce unnecessary hospitalization, early deliv...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9971456
- **Project number:** 5R01AI141501-02
- **Recipient organization:** TEMPLE UNIV OF THE COMMONWEALTH
- **Principal Investigator:** Brandie DePaoli Taylor
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $583,493
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-07-05 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9971456

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9971456, Immune activating syncytiotrophoblast microvesicles and danger associated molecular patterns in preeclampsia risk (5R01AI141501-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9971456. Licensed CC0.

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