How placental gene imprinting links a mother's growth and nutrition to her child's size and early growth
Effect of genomic imprinting in placentas on maternal transmission of growth phenotypes to offspring in a multigenerational human cohort study
This project looks at whether natural patterns of gene activity in the placenta connect a mother's growth history and nutrition to her child's birth size and growth through age five.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11250006 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers are using long-term measurements collected from two generations of mothers and their children in a Mali cohort (1998–2020) to study placental genomic imprinting. They will compare mothers' body size, childhood growth history, age at puberty, and fat stores with patterns of imprinted gene activity in the placenta. Those placental patterns will then be related to children's birth measurements and growth trajectories up to five years, plus weaning age and early motor milestones. The goal is to find biological links that help explain why some children grow differently based on their mothers' life history and nutrition.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are mothers and their offspring from the Mali multigenerational cohort who have pregnancy records, available placental or biospecimens, and child growth follow-up through age five.
Not a fit: People without placental samples or without long-term growth records (for example no follow-up through age five) are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify children at higher risk for poor growth or later non-communicable diseases and point to maternal nutrition or monitoring strategies to reduce that risk.
How similar studies have performed: Previous research has linked epigenetic signals to fetal growth, but long-term human studies specifically linking placental imprinting across generations are rare, so this approach is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Ann Arbor, United States
- University of Michigan at Ann Arbor — Ann Arbor, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Strassmann, Beverly Ilse — University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Study coordinator: Strassmann, Beverly Ilse
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.