PFAS and liver health in Latino youth
Research Project 2: PFAS and Liver Health in Latino Youth: A Longitudinal Multi-Omics Study
This project follows Latino children and teens to learn if common PFAS chemicals are linked to liver fat and risk of fatty liver disease over time.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Southern California NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11324193 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you or your child are Latino and between about 8 and 20 years old, researchers will follow you over several years to track PFAS levels and liver health. They will collect blood samples, use repeated MRIs to measure liver fat, and analyze high-dimensional 'omics' (like genetics and metabolomics) while applying models to understand how mixtures of PFAS affect the liver. The study focuses on communities near PFAS contamination and on youth at higher risk for metabolic-associated steatotic liver disease using advanced statistical and pharmacokinetic methods.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are Latino children and adolescents roughly 8–20 years old, particularly those with overweight/obesity or who live near PFAS-contaminated water sources.
Not a fit: Older adults outside the study's target age range or people without PFAS exposure concerns may not directly benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify environmental causes of fatty liver in youth and guide screening, prevention, or policy actions for affected communities.
How similar studies have performed: Animal studies show PFAS can damage the liver, but well-designed human longitudinal studies using MRI and multi-omics in youth are limited, so this approach is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Los Angeles, UNITED STATES
- University of Southern California — Los Angeles, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chatzi, Vaia Lida — University of Southern California
- Study coordinator: Chatzi, Vaia Lida
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.