Understanding how behaviors are passed down through generations
Cracking the Code of Transgenerational Inheritance of Behavior
['FUNDING_OTHER'] · PRINCETON UNIVERSITY · NIH-11091510
This project explores how living things, like tiny worms, can pass down learned behaviors and responses to threats to their offspring for many generations.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_OTHER'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | PRINCETON UNIVERSITY (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (Princeton, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11091510 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
This project aims to uncover the hidden rules behind how behaviors and responses to the environment can be inherited across generations, a process called transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. Researchers are using a small worm, C. elegans, which can learn to avoid harmful bacteria and then teach this avoidance to its great-great-grandchildren. They are looking at how tiny RNA signals from bacteria are "read" by the worms and then used to change their behavior and even passed on through their genes. Understanding these mechanisms could reveal how our own experiences might influence future generations.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: This foundational biological research does not directly involve human patients, but its findings could eventually inform our understanding of human inherited traits and conditions.
Not a fit: Patients seeking immediate clinical treatments or direct participation in human trials would not find direct benefit from this basic science project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could shed light on how human behaviors and disease susceptibilities might be influenced by ancestral experiences, potentially leading to new ways to understand and address inherited conditions.
How similar studies have performed: Transgenerational inheritance has been observed in various organisms, and this project builds on recent discoveries about how C. elegans transmits learned pathogen avoidance across generations.
Where this research is happening
Princeton, UNITED STATES
- PRINCETON UNIVERSITY — Princeton, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: MURPHY, COLEEN TARA — PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
- Study coordinator: MURPHY, COLEEN TARA
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.