Everyday chemical exposures and diabetes risk in middle and later life
Official title: Integrated exposome profiling to identify environmental risk factors of metabolic disease in mid- and late-life
Funded at University of Michigan at Ann Arbor · NIH-11252283 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers will measure many environmental chemicals and blood markers to find links to type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome in middle-aged and older adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project start | March 17, 2023 |
| Project end | December 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $581,060 |
| NIH project number | 5R01ES035087-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11252283 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are middle-aged and older adults willing to provide blood samples and health information, especially those without diagnosed diabetes or who are at risk for type 2 diabetes.
✕Less likely to help
Children, younger adults, and people with conditions unrelated to metabolic health or those unwilling to provide samples or records are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
This project looks across a wide range of environmental chemicals in blood and other samples to see how they relate to type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Scientists will profile many chemicals (the exposome) and biological markers, then link those profiles to glucose, BMI, and other metabolic signs. They will combine chemical exposure data with clinical and demographic information to create exposure-based signatures that could help predict who is at higher risk. The work is based at the University of Michigan and uses human samples and health data.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could identify environmental exposures that raise diabetes risk and help target early detection or prevention for vulnerable people.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have linked a few chemicals to diabetes risk, but broad exposome profiling like this is relatively new and less tested.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Park, Sung Kyun — University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Study coordinator: Park, Sung Kyun
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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.