Detecting Prenatal Alcohol Exposure with 3D Facial Imaging Across Ages
Official title: Defining Translational Approaches for the Image-based Detection of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
Funded at University of Oxford · NIH-11382801 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A project aims to use 3D facial imaging to identify individuals who were exposed to alcohol before birth, from infancy into adulthood, to help doctors screen and understand FASD better.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Oxford NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Oxford, United Kingdom) |
| Project start | August 15, 2022 |
| Project end | April 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $207,399 |
| NIH project number | 5U01AA014809-23 |
| Project ID | NIH-11382801 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Individuals across the lifespan who may have been exposed to alcohol prenatally, including children, adolescents, and adults.
✕Less likely to help
People without prenatal alcohol exposure or without access to 3D imaging tools may see no direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project builds on prior work to translate facial and brain-cognition clues into reliable clinical screening for prenatal alcohol exposure. It uses low-cost 3D imaging to refine how facial shape and neural features relate to PAE, accounting for sex, age, and other exposures. The team wants to optimize software tools that automatically detect PAE-related facial patterns and facial-brain relationships for everyday clinical use. The work emphasizes making the methods practical for clinicians and adaptable to different ages. The goal is to improve early detection and deepen our understanding of PAE effects from childhood through adulthood.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, clinicians could screen for PAE more accurately using simple 3D imaging, enabling earlier support and better management of FASD.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has shown that facial morphology and brain-cognition relationships can indicate PAE, and this project aims to refine and translate those findings.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Oxford
Oxford, United Kingdom Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Suttie, Michael — University of Oxford
- Study coordinator: Suttie, Michael
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.