Yingshi Ouyang, Ph.D. Research Faculty (Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and of Neurology Tenure Track)

Newsroom Science Update. Dr. Ouyang’s research centers on the biology of the human placenta. The placenta — a vital organ shared by the mother and fetus during pregnancy — plays a central role in maternal-fetal gas exchange, transfer of nutrients and waste, hormone production and immunological defense. The placenta also communicates signals that are essential for pregnancy health. The outer layer of the human placenta is made up of specialized cells called syncytiotrophoblasts. These multinucleated cells are in direct contact with maternal blood and are the key to making the placenta work properly throughout pregnancy. In addition to hormones, growth factors and other signaling proteins released into the maternal circulation, the syncytiotrophoblast layer also produces a wide array of lipid-encapsulated extracellular vesicles (EVs), including apoptotic cell-derived EVs, microvesicles and nano-sized EVs, commonly referred to as exosomes. Dr. Ouyang’s research centers on two main areas:

1. How the placenta forms and functions, especially in pregnancies affected by opioid use or other health problems.
2. How nanoscale exosomes released by the placenta help the mother and baby "talk" to each other throughout the nine-month pregnancy.

As the contact PI of a National Institutes of Health R01 award through the Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative, Dr. Ouyang leads a transdisciplinary team investigating the impact of opioid use disorder on human placental development and function, as well as on fetal neural development. Additionally, his team is particularly interested in the trafficking and function of trophoblastic exosomes, with the goal of identifying their target tissues and elucidating the underlying mechanisms that maintain homeostasis within the maternal-placental-fetal ecosystem. Ultimately, they hope to spot early warning signs of problems to develop better tools to support the health of mothers and their babies. Dr. Ouyang considers it a true privilege to begin a new chapter at DBI and CPNMHR, collaborating through team science on a range of exciting and innovative projects that bridge basic and translational biomedical science with real-world impacts on human health.

Read my PubMed Bibliography

Address: 111 Michigan Ave. NW; Washington, D.C., 20010
Email: fetalbrain@childrensnational.org
Department: MRI Lab