Early-life metal exposure and child vaccine antibody responses
Official title: Early-life metal exposures, mitochondrial heteroplasmy, and child antibody response to vaccination
Funded at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · NIH-11397544 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how metals exposure in early life may shape a child’s antibody response to vaccines years later.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | September 8, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $616,539 |
| NIH project number | 5R01ES034521-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11397544 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children in the PROGRESS cohort with documented early-life metal exposure and vaccination histories.
✕Less likely to help
Children without measurable exposure to the studied metals or who do not receive the standard vaccination schedule may have limited direct benefit.
What this research studies
The study follows children in the Mexican PROGRESS cohort to see if metals such as arsenic, cadmium, manganese, and lead in blood, urine, and teeth influence how well vaccines work as they grow. By measuring antibody levels at multiple ages (4, 6, 8, 10–11, and 13–15 years) after routine vaccines, researchers hope to understand long-term immune effects. The work builds on DOHaD theory and uses existing measures of metal exposure to connect early life environments with later immune outcomes. If successful, findings could inform interventions to protect immune health from metal exposures during pregnancy and early childhood.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Understanding how early metal exposure affects vaccine responses could lead to better protective strategies for children's immune health.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary data suggest metals can influence antibody responses, but this specific multi-timepoint pediatric vaccine study is building on combining exposure data with immune outcomes.
Where this research is happening
-
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Colicino, Elena — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Colicino, Elena
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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.