How gestational diabetes changes offspring blood stem cells
Diabetic Memory in Hematopoietic Stem Cells
This project looks at whether diabetes during pregnancy leaves a lasting 'memory' in a child's blood-forming stem cells that could raise health risks as they grow up.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cincinnati, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11252781 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project uses mouse models that mimic gestational diabetes to see how exposure to high blood sugar before birth affects the offspring's blood-forming stem cells. Researchers follow the offspring into adulthood, even when they do not develop diabetes, to identify persistent changes in how blood cells are produced. They analyze cellular and molecular markers in hematopoietic stem cells to understand the 'memory' of metabolic stress and test whether these altered stem cells drive later problems such as atherosclerosis. The work aims to connect maternal high blood sugar with long-term disease risk in children through durable changes in stem cell function.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People born after pregnancies affected by gestational diabetes, and adults whose mothers had gestational diabetes, would be the most relevant group for findings or future clinical studies.
Not a fit: People who were not exposed to high blood sugar before birth or whose health issues are unrelated to gestational diabetes are unlikely to benefit directly from this research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If confirmed, this work could suggest new ways to screen for or prevent long-term cardiovascular and metabolic problems in people exposed to gestational diabetes before birth.
How similar studies have performed: Prior animal studies and preliminary data show long-term metabolic effects of gestational diabetes and early evidence of stem cell changes, but applying the idea of durable hematopoietic 'memory' to human disease is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Cincinnati, United States
- Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr — Cincinnati, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Reynaud, Damien — Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr
- Study coordinator: Reynaud, Damien
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.