How prenatal marijuana affects the placenta and infant brain growth
Placental Genomics in the Developmental Consequences of Marijuana Use in Pregnancy
This project will look at how marijuana use during pregnancy changes the placenta and might affect an infant's growth and brain development.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Miriam Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Providence, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11324952 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you used marijuana while pregnant, researchers may collect your placenta at delivery and analyze its gene activity to see how exposure relates to newborn size and early brain development. They will compare placental genomic patterns from pregnancies with and without cannabis exposure and link those patterns to infant outcomes in an ongoing mother-infant cohort. The team uses advanced genomic profiling to find biological pathways and biomarkers that could signal fetal harm from prenatal cannabis. Results aim to point to targets for future screening or interventions to help exposed children.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Pregnant people (and their newborns) who used marijuana during pregnancy and are willing to provide placental tissue at birth and participate in follow-up visits.
Not a fit: People who are not pregnant, who did not have prenatal marijuana exposure, or who cannot provide placental samples or follow-up data are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could identify placental markers that help detect or prevent harms from prenatal marijuana exposure and guide future care for exposed infants.
How similar studies have performed: Earlier work by this team has linked prenatal cannabis to infant outcomes and other studies show placental genomics can reflect prenatal exposures, but comprehensive genomic study of cannabis exposure is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Providence, United States
- Miriam Hospital — Providence, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Stroud, Laura R — Miriam Hospital
- Study coordinator: Stroud, Laura R
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.