(ST. LOUIS) – The March of Dimes Missouri Chapter has awarded five new grants – totaling $375,000 – to medical researchers in the state who are gaining new understanding of how to prevent birth defects in premature and small babies, Deborah Kersting, Missouri Executive Director, announced today. The grants go to four researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and one at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Over the past six decades, March of Dimes grantees have achieved a remarkable track record of lifesaving breakthroughs for babies. Thirteen of these researchers have won the Nobel Prize. Today’s grantees continue in this tradition of success. Some are conducting basic research into life processes to learn how things normally work as a basis for learning what can go wrong. What is learned from basic research helps pave the way for clinically oriented studies that aim to prevent or treat specific birth defects and improve the outcome of pregnancy.
The new round of grants bring to nearly $5 million the March of Dimes is investing with higher education, independent research laboratories, and community organizations to reduce premature births in Missouri. Currently about one of every eight babies in Missouri is born too soon.
The new March of Dimes grantees include:
• Feng Chen, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis. Dr Chen is studying the genetic causes of certain common, and sometimes life threatening, birth defects involving the urinary tract. About one in 500 babies is born with a urinary tract blockage. Dr. Cheng is working to identify possible genetic causes of such blockages. Dr. Cheng’s grant is $55,164.
• Anthony R. French, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. French’s project is aimed at preventing fetal infection with cytomegalovirus (CMV), a leading infectious cause of birth defects. Each year about 8,000 babies develop severe defects such as mental retardation and hearing loss as a result of CMV infection. Dr. French is searching for a better understanding of how the body’s immune response to CMV might lead to treatments that could prevent transmission of the infection from mother to baby. Dr. French’s grant is $75,000.
• Kelle Harbert Moley, MD, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Moley is aiming to understand why women with pre-existing diabetes are at increased risk of having a baby with birth defects. Women with pre-existing diabetes are three to four times more likely to have babies with a birth defect such as brain or spinal cord, heart, or limb defects. Dr. Moley hopes to determine whether metabolic changes prior to ovulation may affect egg development in ways that increase the risk of poor pregnancy outcomes. Dr. Moley’s grant is $80,000.
• Susan Carol Nagel, PhD, Assistant Professor of Reproductive and Perinatal Research, University of Missouri-Columbia. Dr. Nagel is researching whether exposure before birth to estrogen-like chemicals in the environment contributes to health problems in adulthood. These chemicals are found in some plastics, linings of metal food cans, soy-based foods, and dental sealants. Dr. Nagel is seeking to determine whether female fetuses exposed to these substances may be at increased risk of developing endometriosis in adulthood. Endometriosis can cause abdominal pain and infertility in women. Dr. Nagel’s grant is for $75,000.
• David M. Ornitz, MD, PhD, Professor of Molecular Biology and Pharmacology, Washington University Medical School in St. Louis. Dr. Ornitz is studying normal lung growth and development before birth for insight into the causes of certain serious of life-threatening newborn lung disorders. About one in 2,700 babies is born with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CHD), in which a hole in the diaphragm allows abdominal organs to move up into the chest. That condition crowds the lungs and prevents them from growing normally. Dr. Ornitz is seeking to identify genes that regulate lung growth and development to find out whether some genes are disrupted in CDH. Dr. Ornitz’ grant is for $88,862.
The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education and advocacy to save babies and in 2003 launched a campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at marchofdimes.com or its Spanish language Web site at nacersano.org. The Missouri Chapter’s Web site is marchofdimes.com/Missouri.
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