Understanding how metabolism changes during pregnancy affects a baby's health
Official title: Characterizing metabolic variability during pregnancy to understand pathways of in-utero overnutrition: an integrative analysis of metabolomics and lifestyle data
Funded at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences · NIH-11109592 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project explores how a mother's metabolism during pregnancy influences her baby's nutrition and long-term health.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Newark, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | September 15, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $203,430 |
| NIH project number | 5R00HD108272-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11109592 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for future related studies might include pregnant women, especially those with or at risk for obesity or gestational diabetes.
✕Less likely to help
Patients seeking immediate treatment for existing conditions may not directly benefit from this foundational research.
What this research studies
We want to understand how a mother's body adapts during pregnancy, especially how conditions like obesity or gestational diabetes can lead to a baby getting too much or too little nutrition before birth. This 'overnutrition' in the womb is linked to children developing obesity and heart problems earlier in life. Our work aims to identify different metabolic patterns in pregnant women and see how these patterns connect to their children's health outcomes, including how the placenta might be involved. By looking at various health data and lifestyle factors, we hope to uncover important links.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify pregnant women at risk for passing on metabolic issues to their children, potentially leading to new ways to prevent childhood obesity and heart disease.
How similar studies have gone: While individual aspects of maternal metabolism and offspring health have been studied, this project uses a novel approach to integrate various data types to fill existing knowledge gaps.
Where this research is happening
-
Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
Newark, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Francis, Ellen Cross — Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Francis, Ellen Cross
Related research
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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.