MEND: How prenatal exposures shape a child's brain and behavior
Official title: Mediators and Modifiers of Prenatal Environmental Exposures and Child Neurodevelopment: DNA methylation, Prenatal Diet, and Cognitive Stimulation (MEND)
Funded at Seattle Children's Hospital · NIH-11391230 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study looks at how multiple prenatal environmental exposures together affect a child’s brain development and behavior, using DNA from cord blood and data from thousands of children.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Seattle Children's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2023 |
| Project end | May 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,368,474 |
| NIH project number | 5UH3OD035508-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11391230 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Pregnant individuals and their children from rural and urban communities in Washington State who are part of or similar to the ECHO program cohorts.
✕Less likely to help
Parents or fetuses not exposed to relevant environmental chemicals or without available cord blood data may see limited relevance.
What this research studies
MEND aims to understand how common prenatal chemicals like phthalates and flame retardants influence a child’s neurodevelopment by examining DNA methylation patterns at birth and later child behavior. The project will analyze data from diverse urban and rural populations in Washington State and use machine learning to identify multi-exposure profiles linked to neurobehavioral outcomes. Researchers will explore how prenatal diet, especially oxidative balance, may modify these effects. Findings could point to practical strategies to reduce risk and improve outcomes for children exposed before birth.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the study could identify key exposure windows and dietary or behavioral changes that help protect a child’s neurodevelopment.
How similar studies have gone: This work builds on prior research within the ECHO program and related cohorts, extending findings with machine-learning-driven phenotypes and methylation analyses.
Where this research is happening
-
Seattle Children's Hospital
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sathyanarayana, Sheela — Seattle Children's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Sathyanarayana, Sheela
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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.