How a mother's obesity can change her child's immune system and metabolism
Official title: Immunometabolic dysregulations in the offspring of obese mothers
Funded at Oregon Health & Science University · NIH-11302712 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are working to understand why children born to mothers who were obese before pregnancy often develop lasting immune and metabolic problems.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Oregon Health & Science University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Portland, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2025 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $195,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R21HD118370-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11302712 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People who were obese before or during pregnancy and their children would be the population most relevant to this research and to future clinical follow-ups.
✕Less likely to help
Those whose pregnancies were not affected by obesity or whose child’s metabolic problems arise from unrelated causes may be less likely to benefit directly from these findings.
What this research studies
Using a mouse model that mirrors human maternal obesity, the team will compare offspring of high-fat diet mothers to those of regular-diet mothers to find immune and metabolic differences. They will measure inflammation signals (including interferon-gamma) and run metabolomics on bone marrow and immune cells from newborn and young offspring. The goal is to pinpoint immune-driven metabolic changes that appear early and persist into adulthood. Findings are intended to reveal biological targets that could guide future prevention or treatment approaches for children born to obese mothers.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could reveal immune and metabolic pathways linking maternal obesity to child health, pointing to new ways to prevent or reduce obesity and related diseases in offspring.
How similar studies have gone: Epidemiological data and prior animal models have linked maternal obesity to offspring metabolic problems, but the specific immune-metabolic mechanisms remain incompletely understood and are still being defined.
Where this research is happening
-
Oregon Health & Science University
Portland, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Maloyan, Alina — Oregon Health & Science University
- Study coordinator: Maloyan, Alina
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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.