Prenatal metabolite patterns linked to early childhood growth and obesity risk
Official title: Prenatal Longitudinal Metabolomics Profiling for Early Childhood Growth Trajectories and Obesity Risk in a US Biracial Birth Cohort
Funded at University of Tennessee Health Sci Ctr · NIH-11326185 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at small molecules in pregnant mothers' blood over time to find patterns that predict which children may gain weight quickly or develop overweight/obesity.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Tennessee Health Sci Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Memphis, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2023 |
| Project end | March 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $736,009 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK134937-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11326185 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are pregnant people in their second or third trimester who can provide prenatal blood samples and commit to pediatric follow-up visits after birth.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not pregnant, cannot provide prenatal blood samples, or cannot attend follow-up visits for their child would not be eligible and would not receive direct benefit from participation.
What this research studies
You would have blood samples taken during pregnancy at multiple time points so researchers can measure many small molecules (metabolites). The team will follow your child's growth in early childhood to map growth patterns and link them back to the prenatal metabolite profiles. The study focuses on a biracial U.S. birth cohort and includes active follow-up visits for measurements and data collection. Researchers aim to use these prenatal patterns to understand biological pathways that increase obesity risk in children.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could identify early pregnancy biomarkers that help target prevention efforts to reduce childhood obesity risk.
How similar studies have gone: Some prior studies have linked prenatal metabolites to later child weight, but longitudinal metabolomic profiling across pregnancy, especially in a biracial U.S. cohort, is still relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Tennessee Health Sci Ctr
Memphis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zhao, Qi — University of Tennessee Health Sci Ctr
- Study coordinator: Zhao, Qi
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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.