Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of Washington received a $672,234 Project Grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865), effective June 1, 2026, through February 28, 2031. This award supports investigator-initiated research examining metabolic regulation of immune cell function at the maternal-fetal interface. The research will generate scientific knowledge and data products analyzing how nutrient availability and utilization impact immune cell function during pregnancy through single-cell flow cytometry assays, transcriptomics analysis, and metabolomics studies of immune cells from placental and uterine decidual tissues across each trimester.

Specifically, the funded research will deliver comprehensive immunometabolic profiling of human immune cells, including assessment of glucose and glutamine metabolism in immune cells throughout gestation and analysis of metabolic phenotype changes as pregnancy progresses. The project outputs will include high-parameter single-cell characterization data, transcriptomic and metabolomic datasets from decidual immune cells, and scientific findings regarding the relationship between metabolic programming and immune cell phenotype during normal pregnancy. These research products are intended to advance understanding of immunometabolism at the maternal-fetal interface and contribute to the broader scientific knowledge base relevant to maternal and child health outcomes.