A smarter supplement plan to help prevent birth defects in pregnancies affected by diabetes
Official title: Beyond Folate - a Supplementation Strategy to Prevent Neural Tube Defects
Funded at Lsu Pennington Biomedical Research Ctr · NIH-11391049 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A small NIH-funded project tests whether providing specific downstream nutrients to embryos can prevent birth defects in pregnancies where the mother has diabetes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Lsu Pennington Biomedical Research Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baton Rouge, United States) |
| Project start | August 11, 2025 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $225,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R21HD115906-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11391049 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are pregnant individuals or those planning pregnancy with diabetes who receive medical supervision and meet standard obstetric criteria.
✕Less likely to help
The approach may not benefit pregnancies without diabetes or where the fetus has unrelated developmental risks.
What this research studies
This project explores how diabetes during pregnancy can disrupt embryo energy and nutrient balance, potentially leading to defects like heart and neural tube problems. Researchers will study how supplying downstream metabolites of glucose might normalize embryonic gene pathways during critical development. It builds on prior data showing that a simple glucose boost can reverse some stress signals, and tests a refined approach that would not increase glucose itself. The study is exploratory and designed to guide safer nutrient-based strategies for pregnancies affected by diabetes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could inform new nutritional approaches to reduce birth defects in diabetic pregnancies.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work suggests metabolic pathways can be modulated to reduce developmental stress, but this exact glucose-downstream strategy is exploratory and not yet proven in humans.
Where this research is happening
-
Lsu Pennington Biomedical Research Ctr
Baton Rouge, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Salbaum, Johannes Michael — Lsu Pennington Biomedical Research Ctr
- Study coordinator: Salbaum, Johannes Michael
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.