Understanding Placental Hormones and Gestational Diabetes
Official title: Placental Hormones and O-GlcNAcylation in Gestational Diabetes
Funded at Medical College of Wisconsin · NIH-11143848 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work explores how hormones from the placenta and a process called O-GlcNAcylation contribute to gestational diabetes, aiming to find new ways to help mothers and babies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Medical College of Wisconsin NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Milwaukee, United States) |
| Project start | August 26, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $382,645 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HD104808-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11143848 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This research is relevant for pregnant individuals who develop or are at risk of developing gestational diabetes.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are not pregnant or do not have gestational diabetes would not directly benefit from this specific research.
What this research studies
We know that gestational diabetes can lead to lasting health problems for both mothers and their children, including type 2 diabetes and heart conditions. This condition progresses quickly during pregnancy, likely due to issues with the placenta. Our goal is to understand how a specific process called O-GlcNAcylation, which is affected by blood sugar levels, influences the placenta's hormone production. By learning more about these connections, we hope to discover new and safer ways to prevent and treat gestational diabetes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to innovative and non-toxic treatments for gestational diabetes, improving health outcomes for mothers and their children.
How similar studies have gone: While O-GlcNAcylation is known to affect hormone secretion and placental health, its specific role in gestational diabetes development is being investigated for the first time in this project.
Where this research is happening
-
Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Olivier-Van Stichelen, Stephanie — Medical College of Wisconsin
- Study coordinator: Olivier-Van Stichelen, Stephanie
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Digital twins of the hypothalamus, placenta, and gut to help manage gestational diabetes
A study using computer-based models of a pregnant person’s brain, placenta, and gut to better understand how gestational diabetes develops and how to tailor treatments.
-
IGF factors and binding proteins in gestational diabetes and fetal growth
A study in pregnant people looks at how insulin-like growth factors and their binding proteins affect gestational diabetes and how a baby grows.
-
STRONG group prenatal care to reduce gestational diabetes in American Samoa
A Yale-led program tests a group prenatal care approach to lower gestational diabetes among pregnant Pacific Islander women in American Samoa.
-
Pancreatic beta cells, oxidative stress, and gestational diabetes
A study is exploring how oxidative stress and changes in pancreatic beta cells during pregnancy may contribute to gestational diabetes and future diabetes risk for both mother and baby.
-
NDPP-MAP: A tailored online-hybrid program to reduce long-term health risks after pregnancy with gestational diabetes
A patient-friendly program adapts a proven diabetes prevention approach to help women who had gestational diabetes lower their risk of type 2 diabetes and heart problems.
-
In Vivo Look at Placental Blood Flow in Gestational Diabetes
A non-invasive MRI study in pregnant people with gestational diabetes and those without will map how placental blood vessels work and relate to baby outcomes.
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.