How prenatal and early-life household cooking smoke affects children's lung health and microbes
Prenatal and infant household air pollution exposure, the human microbiome and virome, and childhood lung function: the GRAPHS randomized controlled trial
This project compares children exposed to different amounts of household cooking smoke before and after birth to see how those exposures shape airway microbes and lung growth.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11467870 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you or your child took part, the team would follow children born to mothers in an existing Ghana cohort who experienced different levels of household cooking smoke. They would collect nasal and other samples to examine bacteria and viruses using genetic sequencing and monitor lung function over childhood. The study links the timing and amount of smoke exposure to changes in the airway microbiome and virome and to lung growth patterns. Results would come from repeated sample collection and standard lung function tests performed at study visits.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are pregnant women and their children from communities with household cooking smoke exposure, particularly those enrolled in the GRAPHS cohort in Ghana or similar settings.
Not a fit: People without meaningful household air pollution exposure or older individuals whose lung development is already complete are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could help design public health actions to reduce household air pollution and protect children's lung development by revealing microbial pathways affected by early smoke exposure.
How similar studies have performed: Previous trials lowering household air pollution have shown mixed effects on child respiratory outcomes, and linking those outcomes to microbiome and virome changes is a relatively new approach.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lee, Alison G — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Lee, Alison 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.