How a mother's vitamin D, genes, and biology relate to her child's risk of asthma
Using statistical network methods to elucidate the multi-omic modulators of the effect of maternal vitamin D levels on childhood asthma
This project looks at how a mother's vitamin D levels, genetics, and other biological markers relate to whether her child develops asthma.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Brigham and Women's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11237567 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you are a pregnant person or parent, this work uses data and biological samples from mothers and their children (including past trials like VDAART) to connect maternal vitamin D with child asthma outcomes. Researchers will analyze genetics, vitamin D binding protein levels, epigenetic marks, and chromatin accessibility (ATAC-seq) from mothers and offspring. They will apply statistical network methods, such as Bayesian networks, to find combinations of molecular features that change how vitamin D affects a child's asthma risk. The goal is to explain why some children benefit from maternal vitamin D while others do not.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are pregnant women and their children, especially those who participated in prenatal vitamin D trials or who can provide blood and genetic samples for analysis.
Not a fit: People with established adult-onset asthma or individuals who are not pregnant and unwilling to provide biological samples are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could enable more personalized prenatal vitamin D recommendations to reduce childhood asthma risk.
How similar studies have performed: Previous trials, including VDAART, suggested maternal vitamin D can lower childhood asthma risk but produced mixed results, and using a multi-omic network approach to explain those differences is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Brigham and Women's Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Halu, Arda — Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Halu, Arda
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 below.