Integrated Transporter Elucidation Center improves placental drug and nutrient delivery
Official title: Integrated Transporter Elucidation Center
Funded at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences · NIH-11479602 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A national collaboration will map how placental transporter proteins move drugs and nutrients to the fetus, with the aim of improving perinatal therapies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Newark, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | September 14, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $11,943 |
| NIH project number | 3UC2HD113039-04S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11479602 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Pregnant individuals and newborns in US-based birth cohorts who receive medications or nutrients that may involve placental transporter systems.
✕Less likely to help
Pregnant people not taking part in the birth cohorts or not exposed to transporter-regulated therapies may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project brings together four academic centers to study how placental transporter proteins regulate what reaches the fetus. Researchers will use advanced proteomics, genetics, and modeling to understand how SLC and ABC transporters influence drug and nutrient transfer during pregnancy. The work combines experimental data from birth cohorts with computational models to predict placental disposition and potential fetal effects. The goal is to guide safer and more effective treatments for pregnant people and their babies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to better prediction of drug safety in pregnancy and improved guidance for therapies that protect fetal development.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has shown that transporter profiling can inform drug disposition, with expanding efforts to integrate proteomics and modeling.
Where this research is happening
-
Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
Newark, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Aleksunes, Lauren M — Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Aleksunes, Lauren M
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.