How pollution near Superfund sites may change the placenta and lead to early birth
Official title: Project 2: Investigating the role of PAH exposures associated with superfund site proximity in preterm birth etiology through placental transcriptomics and metagenomics
Funded at Baylor College of Medicine · NIH-11388576 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research looks at whether pollution from nearby Superfund sites changes the placenta's genes and microbes in pregnant people and raises the risk of preterm birth.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Baylor College of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project start | February 28, 2020 |
| Project end | January 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $385,150 |
| NIH project number | 5P42ES027725-07 |
| Project ID | NIH-11388576 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Pregnant people—particularly those living near Superfund or other contaminated sites or with suspected PAH exposure—who are willing to provide placental tissue and health records after delivery are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not pregnant, lack PAH exposure, cannot provide placental samples, or need immediate clinical treatment rather than research participation are unlikely to benefit directly.
What this research studies
You would be asked to allow researchers to analyze your placenta after delivery and share related health and exposure information. The team will measure pollutants like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and use advanced lab methods (RNA-seq, bisulfite sequencing, ATAC-seq, protein arrays, and metagenomics) to profile gene activity, DNA methylation, chromatin accessibility, protein levels, and microbial content. They will combine these molecular datasets using machine learning to look for patterns that link PAH exposure to placental changes and early birth. The aim is to understand how living near contaminated sites might alter the placenta in ways that increase preterm birth risk.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify placental markers that help predict or guide prevention of pollution-related preterm birth.
How similar studies have gone: Epidemiologic studies have linked PAH exposure and proximity to contaminated sites with higher preterm birth risk, but combining placental epigenomics, transcriptomics, and metagenomics in this way is relatively new and exploratory.
Where this research is happening
-
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Suter, Melissa — Baylor College of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Suter, Melissa
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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.