North Carolina birth defects prevention program
Component A: BD-STEPS Core at the NC Center for Birth Defects Research and Prevention
['FUNDING_U01'] · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · NIH-11136828
This program gathers information from babies born with birth defects and other infants in North Carolina to find causes and ways to prevent birth defects.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_U01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (CHAPEL HILL, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11136828 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
If my baby has a birth defect, the team would identify our case through the state's birth defects surveillance system and may contact me to ask about pregnancy exposures and medical history. They will also select babies born without defects from the same area to compare, and review medical records with specialists to confirm and classify diagnoses. Collected information and possible genetic samples will be used to look for environmental and genetic risks that might be preventable. The goal is to use those findings to reduce future birth defects across North Carolina.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are parents of infants (livebirths, stillbirths, or elective abortions) with study-eligible major structural birth defects, and parents of infants without defects born in the same 33-county area of North Carolina.
Not a fit: People who live outside the defined 33-county study area in North Carolina, whose infants do not have study-eligible defects, or who do not want to share medical and pregnancy information are unlikely to benefit directly from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify causes of birth defects and lead to prevention strategies that reduce affected pregnancies.
How similar studies have performed: Previous multi-site efforts such as the National Birth Defects Prevention Study and earlier BD-STEPS projects have successfully identified some genetic and environmental risk factors, and this project builds on that prior work.
Where this research is happening
CHAPEL HILL, UNITED STATES
- UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL — CHAPEL HILL, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: OLSHAN, ANDREW — UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- Study coordinator: OLSHAN, ANDREW
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.