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Investigating the Role of Apoptosis in Early Life Vulnerability to Lead-Induced Neurotoxicity

Award Number: F31ES036462
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 03/01/2025
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 02/29/2028

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Investigating the Role of Apoptosis in Early Life Vulnerability to Lead-Induced Neurotoxicity - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The public health crisis in Flint, Michigan has resurfaced concerns about exposure to lead, a neurotoxicant that causes long-term brain damage in children. Despite its known dangers, the biological mechanisms that make children more vulnerable to exhibiting neurocognitive impairments after lead exposure remain unknown. Apoptosis regulation is one potential mechanism, as neurodevelopment requires apoptosis to prune superfluous neurons and lead has been shown to trigger apoptotic cell death. Our laboratory has recently discovered that neural cells are “primed for apoptosis” during the postnatal brain maturation period. The pro- apoptotic protein BAX, which causes mitochondrial permeabilization and cytochrome c release to initiate apoptosis, facilitates this sensitivity. More mature neural cell types are less prone to apoptosis as BAX expression decreases with age. We believe that heightened BAX expression and apoptotic priming in the young brain drive lead-induced apoptosis and consequent neurocognitive impairments, which may be prevented by blocking apoptosis. This F31 research proposal aims to determine if suppressing BAX-mediated apoptosis in neural cell populations can reduce the neurotoxic effects of early-life lead exposure and improve neural cell survival and function. Our central hypothesis is that lead induces pro-apoptotic signaling in the brain regardless of age, but young brain tissue is more likely to exhibit signs of neural cell apoptosis due to higher BAX expression and apoptotic priming than adults, increasing vulnerability to neurocognitive impairment. I proposed to test this in three aims: (1) elucidate the mechanism of lead-induced neural cell apoptosis in differentiating human and mouse cells; (2) investigate how the timing of initial lead exposure during development affects the developing brain; and (3) investigate how BAX knockout protects against neurocognitive impairments. My training plan aims to help me achieve my short-term career goal of attaining a prestigious postdoctoral fellowship, which, upon completion, would prepare for my long-term goal of establishing my laboratory as a tenure-track professor at a high-ranking school of public health, where I aspire to conduct research in developmental neuroscience and environmental neurotoxicology. Therefore, I am eager to contribute to manuscripts, publish first-author papers, and share my discoveries in seminars series and at national conferences. I am also committed to modest amounts of teaching, curriculum development, outreach, and mentoring other students. I understand that these goals are not easily achieved and am grateful for the support offered by my sponsors and the members of my Science Advisory and Career Mentoring Committees. Working together, we have the potential to achieve significant progress in the areas of cell death, neuroscience, public health, and environmental health.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $42,220 )
2026	2026	PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE	1033 MASSACHUSETTS AVE STE 3	CAMBRIDGE	MA	02138	MIDDLESEX	USA	Environmental Health	000	2	3/5/2026	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$42,220
														Subtotal = $42,220

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $42,220 )
2025	2025	PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE	1033 MASSACHUSETTS AVE STE 3	CAMBRIDGE	MA	02138	MIDDLESEX	USA	Environmental Health	002	1	8/29/2025	NEW	$564
2025	2025	PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE	1033 MASSACHUSETTS AVE STE 3	CAMBRIDGE	MA	02138	MIDDLESEX	USA	Environmental Health	001	1	11/19/2024	NEW	$0
2025	2025	HARVARD COLLEGE PRESIDENT & FELLOWS OF	677 HUNTINGTON AVE	BOSTON	MA	02115	SUFFOLK	USA	Environmental Health	000	1	11/19/2024	NEW	$41,656
														Subtotal = $42,220

Grand Total All Awards = $84,440

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Investigating the Role of Apoptosis in Early Life Vulnerability to Lead-Induced Neurotoxicity

Award Number: F31ES036462

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 03/01/2025

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 02/29/2028

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