Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Oregon Health & Science University received a $746,208 Project Grant award 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, with a completion date of February 28, 2031. The grant supports a collaborative research project investigating the role of the corpus luteum on placental development, specifically examining how medicated frozen embryo transfer (FET) procedures affect early pregnancy outcomes. The research will utilize non-human primate models to directly test the hypothesis that elevated exogenous estradiol levels and the absence of a functional corpus luteum synergistically cause molecular changes in early placental development that predispose adverse pregnancy outcomes.

The project will deliver two primary research objectives: (1) comprehensive placental phenotyping and molecular assessments to characterize cellular and molecular changes in first-trimester placentas associated with programmed cycle FET, and (2) direct protein and small molecule analyses of corpus luteum secretions in maternal circulation using high-throughput methodology to identify and quantify signaling molecules. These scientific findings are intended to advance understanding of placental development mechanisms and inform improvements in maternal-fetal medicine by identifying causative factors for pregnancy loss and complications, thereby reducing associated physiological, psychological, and economic burdens on affected populations.