How Early Life Experiences Shape Cellular Aging in Children
Early Life Experience and Childhood Telomere Biology: A Longitudinal Study of Developmental Context and Behavioral Mediators
This project explores how experiences in a child's early years might influence how their cells age, looking at children from birth through age five.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Duke University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Durham, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11124112 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
We are looking into how a child's early experiences, starting even before birth and continuing through their first five years, might affect how their cells age. Our team will examine specific markers of cellular aging, like telomeres and epigenetic clocks, in young children. We also want to understand how a child's environment and their own behaviors might play a role in these changes. This work uses information from an ongoing group of children to help us learn more about long-term health.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are children aged 0-5 years who are already part of the existing Brain and Early Experience Study cohort.
Not a fit: Patients not part of the specific existing cohort or outside the target age range would not directly benefit from participation in this particular grant.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help us understand how early life experiences contribute to health and disease later in life, potentially leading to ways to support healthy aging from a young age.
How similar studies have performed: While the link between early life experience and adult health is established, this specific longitudinal examination of telomere erosion and epigenetic aging across the first five years of life, including developmental and behavioral mediators, represents a novel approach.
Where this research is happening
Durham, United States
- Duke University — Durham, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Garrett-Peters, Patricia — Duke University
- Study coordinator: Garrett-Peters, Patricia
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.