Connecting life stages, biology, and digital health to understand heart and lung risks
Official title: Integrating lifecourse approaches, biologic and digital phenotypes in support of heart and lung disease epidemiologic research
Funded at Harvard University D/b/a Harvard School of Public Health · NIH-11418781 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project combines life-history, biological samples, and digital health data to learn how pregnancy and early-life exposures affect heart and lung health for women and their children.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Harvard University D/b/a Harvard School of Public Health NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | February 8, 2019 |
| Project end | January 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $126,107 |
| NIH project number | 3U01HL145386-07S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11418781 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are women of reproductive age, mothers and their children—especially those already enrolled in long-term cohorts like the Nurses’ Health Studies or willing to join similar follow-up efforts.
✕Less likely to help
People who need immediate treatment for existing heart or lung disease or who do not want long-term follow-up are unlikely to gain direct benefits from this observational infrastructure project.
What this research studies
We are linking three long-term U.S. cohorts—the Nurses’ Health Study II, Nurses’ Health Study 3, and the Growing Up Today Study—to track heart and lung outcomes across generations. The team will collect traditional risk-factor information, biological samples, and emerging "digital phenotypes" such as data from wearables or mobile tools. With over 188,000 participants, including many mother–offspring pairs, triads, and sibling groups, the work looks for pregnancy and early-life signals tied to later cardiovascular and obstructive lung disease. Findings will be used to build better ways to spot high risk and guide prevention across the life course.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help doctors spot earlier warning signs from pregnancy or childhood so people can get targeted prevention for heart and lung disease.
How similar studies have gone: Prior long-term cohort studies have linked pregnancy complications and early-life exposures to later cardiovascular and respiratory risk, but combining biological samples with digital health measures across generations is a relatively new approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Harvard University D/b/a Harvard School of Public Health
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chavarro, Jorge Eduardo — Harvard University D/b/a Harvard School of Public Health
- Study coordinator: Chavarro, Jorge Eduardo
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.