Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Baylor College of Medicine received a $639,797 Project Grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) under the Environmental Health program (CFDA 93.113), awarded April 1, 2026, with completion scheduled for January 31, 2031. The grant supports research investigating the impact of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) on preterm birth outcomes. The project addresses a critical knowledge gap regarding how emerging environmental contaminants correlate with adverse pregnancy outcomes and altered placental immune function. The research leverages a completed longitudinal pregnancy cohort study (Bacteria and Birth Study) comprising 585 participants with over 93,000 biospecimens collected from first trimester through six weeks postpartum.

Under this award, Baylor will deliver two primary research products: (1) quantification of temporal patterns of MNP accumulation across 12 environmentally relevant polymers in maternal blood, urine, placental tissue, and cord blood specimens (3,500 samples) using pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis, integrated with exposure signatures predicting preterm birth risk; and (2) characterization of MNP-associated placental dysfunction through systematic analysis of inflammatory markers (1,200 samples), histopathological examination (351 placentae), and immune cell distribution mapping. These research activities will establish correlations between environmental MNP exposure and adverse pregnancy outcomes while identifying modifiable risk factors for preterm birth prevention.