Role of mom's milk RNA in how a child grows and fights infections
Official title: The role of human milk miRNA at the intersection between maternal health and child growth and immune development
Funded at Rhode Island Hospital · NIH-11301660 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A doctor-scientist plans to study tiny molecules in breast milk and how a mom’s health and infections may influence a 2-year-old child’s growth and immune development.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Career grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rhode Island Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Providence, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2026 |
| Project end | August 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $168,056 |
| NIH project number | 1K08HD118259-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11301660 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are women and their infants from the existing longitudinal Philippine cohort, and those with available milk samples and infant growth data.
✕Less likely to help
Results may have limited direct benefit for families not in the studied cohort or those without maternal health variations studied here.
What this research studies
This project looks at human milk microRNA, small brain-not brain but regulatory bits, and how maternal health—like being underweight or having a helminth infection—might shape their child’s growth and immune system. It uses data from a long-running study of 400 pregnant women and their babies in the Philippines, focusing on milk miRNA profiles and later infant weight gain and immune maturation. The team will compare milk from underweight mothers and those with Schistosoma japonicum infection to see how miRNA levels differ and relate to child outcomes. No new subject recruitment is required for this analysis, and methods will connect maternal miRNA patterns with infant growth and immune development.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could clarify how maternal health and milk composition affect early child growth and immune maturation, potentially guiding nutrition or health interventions.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work shows milk miRNA can reflect maternal and infant health; this study builds on that by linking specific miRNA patterns to growth and immunity, which is promising but still exploratory.
Where this research is happening
-
Rhode Island Hospital
Providence, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Barry, Meagan Amelia — Rhode Island Hospital
- Study coordinator: Barry, Meagan Amelia
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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.