How early arsenic exposure affects children's gut bacteria and diabetes risk
Early-life iAs exposure: diabetes and gut microbiome
Finding out if arsenic exposure in early life changes gut bacteria and increases the chance of developing diabetes in children.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11261755 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project looks at whether exposure to inorganic arsenic before birth and during infancy alters the gut microbiome and leads to blood-sugar problems. Researchers combine data and samples from the New Hampshire Birth Cohort (mothers and infants using private wells) with experiments in mice and laboratory analyses to identify microbial and metabolic mechanisms. The team will test whether shifting the microbiome can protect against arsenic-related metabolic dysfunction. Human sample work and animal studies are integrated to point toward possible prevention strategies.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are pregnant women, infants, or young children from areas with private well water or known early-life arsenic exposure, or families willing to provide samples for the birth cohort.
Not a fit: People whose diabetes is clearly due to non-environmental causes or who had no early-life arsenic exposure are unlikely to directly benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could lead to ways to prevent or reduce arsenic-related diabetes risk in children by targeting the gut microbiome.
How similar studies have performed: Prior animal and human cohort studies have linked arsenic exposure to diabetes and shown associated microbiome changes, but microbiome-based prevention for arsenic-related diabetes is still largely unproven.
Where this research is happening
Chapel Hill, United States
- Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill — Chapel Hill, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lu, Kun — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Lu, Kun
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.