Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) awarded the University of Alabama at Birmingham a $1.93 million Project Grant under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847) to conduct a 10-year follow-up study of the Medical Optimization and Management of Pregnancies with Overt Type 2 Diabetes (MOMPOD FU) study. The award, dated March 4, 2026, and concluding February 28, 2031, will support longitudinal clinical research evaluating long-term health outcomes in approximately 462 children (approximately 65% of eligible participants) born to mothers who participated in the original MOMPOD randomized controlled trial. The research will involve a single in-person clinical visit with enrolled children at ages 9–11 years to assess the association between in utero metformin exposure and childhood cardiometabolic outcomes, including obesity rates and metabolic health indicators.

This follow-up study addresses a critical knowledge gap regarding the long-term effects of metformin treatment during pregnancy, as prior small studies have suggested paradoxically higher rates of childhood obesity and abnormal cardiometabolic health in children exposed to metformin in utero. Given that metformin crosses the placenta and is used in more than one in four pregnant women with type 2 diabetes, the research will provide evidence-based data to inform clinical treatment decisions and improve lifelong health outcomes for children born to mothers with type 2 diabetes. The study will be conducted at the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Irondale, Alabama facility.