How parents' environmental exposures may change health across generations
Mechanisms of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance
Researchers are looking at whether chemicals parents encounter can alter gene activity that raises risks like autism or obesity in their children and grandchildren.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Emory University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Atlanta, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11222287 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project uses laboratory mouse models to trace how exposure of pregnant females to chemicals (like BPA) can produce changes that persist for several generations. Scientists examine sperm and germline cells for switched-on regulatory DNA elements and the proteins that bind them (for example CTCF, FOXA1, estrogen and androgen receptors). They link those molecular changes to altered activity of genes (Fto, Irx3, Irx5) that affect appetite-regulating brain cells and to outcomes such as increased food intake, leptin resistance, and obesity in descendant animals. The goal is to explain how epigenetic marks can escape normal reprogramming and be passed to later generations.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: This grant does not enroll patients; however, adults with autism or those concerned about family histories of environmentally linked conditions are the patient groups most relevant to the findings.
Not a fit: People whose health issues are unrelated to ancestral environmental exposures or purely genetic causes are unlikely to see direct clinical benefit from this specific laboratory-focused work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could reveal biological mechanisms behind inherited risks from ancestral chemical exposures and point to markers or strategies to reduce risk for conditions like autism and obesity.
How similar studies have performed: Previous human and animal studies have linked ancestral chemical exposures to increased disease risk, but the precise molecular routes of transgenerational transmission remain experimental and are still being defined.
Where this research is happening
Atlanta, United States
- Emory University — Atlanta, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Corces, Victor G. — Emory University
- Study coordinator: Corces, Victor G.
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.