Santos awarded R01 grant for research on genomics and child development

Congratulations to Hudson Santos, PhD, RN, who has received almost 2 million dollars in funding from the National Institute of Nursing Research for his research in genomics and child development. The 5-year project, titled “Genetic and Epigenetic Effects on Childhood Cognitive Trajectories”, focuses on identifying interactions between genetic factors, neonatal inflammation, and epigenetic factors predict trajectories of cognitive development from birth to age 17 years among children born extremely preterm. You can read the project narrative below.

Dr. Santos is an Assistant Professor at the School of Nursing, as well as Interim Director of the Biobehavioral Laboratory.

Title

Genetic and Epigenetic Effects on Childhood Cognitive Trajectories

Principal Investigator(s):

Hudson Santos, PHD

Project Narrative

Children born extremely preterm exhibit much higher rates of cognitive function impairment during early childhood through adulthood than those born full term. We propose to examine relationships among gene variants, DNA methylation, neonatal inflammation, and developmental trajectories of cognitive function in extremely preterm children ages 2-17 years. This study will be among the first to identify genetic and epigenetic factors that can be used for risk stratification, as well as molecular processes that can be the targets of early risk-mitigating interventions to improve quality of life for children born extremely preterm.

Period Of Performance:
Budget Period: 09/10/2020 – 07/31/2021
Project Period: 09/10/2020 – 07/31/2025

Funding
Total $1,917,272