This federal Project Grant award of $450,000 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837), aims to investigate the impact of prenatal exposure to copper from electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) aerosols on the neonatal pulmonary immune system and its association with the development of asthmatic responses.
The research will leverage in vitro and in vivo models, as well as clinical sample datasets, to determine the transplacental passage of copper after ENDS aerosol exposure and its role in exacerbating asthma in offspring. The project will also explore the key mechanisms involving the epigenetic regulation of the IL-10/IL-10RA axis and its influence on Th2-driven allergic asthma. This work will help establish blood-based biomarkers of prenatal ENDS exposures, which is a critical first step for early management of asthma in the over 500,000 prenatally ENDS-exposed infants born each year in the U.S. The award period is from March 18, 2025 to January 31, 2030.