Understanding how a mother's weight during pregnancy affects her child's breast cancer risk through gut bacteria
Official title: Effect of maternal obesity on breast cancer among offspring: role of the gut microbiota
Funded at University of Minnesota · NIH-11136497 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project explores how a mother's weight during pregnancy might change her child's gut bacteria, potentially influencing their future risk of breast cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Minnesota NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Minneapolis, United States) |
| Project start | July 15, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $354,579 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA276775-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11136497 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This foundational research is relevant to women who were obese during pregnancy and their offspring, though it does not directly involve patient participation at this stage.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not interested in the long-term, foundational understanding of disease mechanisms may not find direct benefit from this specific research.
What this research studies
We know that mothers who are overweight during pregnancy can have children with a higher chance of developing breast cancer later in life. This connection might be due to changes in the child's gut bacteria, which are important for overall health. Our work aims to discover if these gut bacteria changes directly cause an increased risk of breast cancer. We will also look at specific cell receptors that might play a role in this process.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new ways to reduce breast cancer risk in children whose mothers were obese during pregnancy, possibly through diet or gut bacteria adjustments.
How similar studies have gone: While the specific causal link between maternal obesity, offspring gut microbiota, and breast cancer risk is being directly tested here, previous research has shown connections between gut bacteria and various health outcomes, including cancer.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hilakivi-Clarke, Leena a. — University of Minnesota
- Study coordinator: Hilakivi-Clarke, Leena a.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
How a mother's obesity might affect her child’s breast cancer risk through the gut
This study investigates whether maternal obesity changes a child’s gut bacteria in a way that could increase breast cancer risk later in life.
-
How maternal obesity affects breast cancer risk in children through gut bacteria
This study looks at how being overweight during pregnancy might change the gut bacteria in babies, which could increase their chances of developing breast cancer later on, and it aims to find ways to help reduce this risk for families.
-
Gut microbiome and Parkinson's disease: how gut bugs relate to symptoms and progression
A multi-year study will look at gut bacteria and related markers in people with Parkinson’s disease to understand how the gut-brain connection may influence symptoms and progression.
-
Gut-Brain Axis in Parkinson’s Disease: biomarkers and procedures to track progression
A patient-focused program to study how gut health and the brain interact in Parkinson’s disease using biomarkers and clinical procedures.
-
Vitamin D, gut bacteria and dementia risk in older adults with HIV
This work will look at whether low vitamin D and changes in gut bacteria are linked to higher dementia risk in older adults living with chronic HIV and similar community members.
-
Gut bacteria and lung immune cells shape viral lung infections
A study explores how gut microbes affect lung immune cells and severity of respiratory viral infections to identify potential ways to reduce illness.
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.