Dr. Wei Bao, Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health and member of the Obesity Research and Education Initiative and the Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center at the University of Iowa, was recently awarded an R21 grant from the National Institutes of Health.

His two-year project entitled “Pregnancy-associated microRNAs in plasma as predictors of gestational diabetes” aims to investigate the association between pregnancy-associated circulating microRNAs during early pregnancy and subsequent risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). GDM is a common pregnancy complication that is defined as glucose intolerance with onset or first recognition during pregnancy. GDM affects 9% of pregnant women in the United States and its prevalence is increasing. Understanding the etiology of GDM and early identification of women at risk of GDM is of great importance, because GDM is associated with increased risk of adverse health outcomes in both mothers and their children. Pregnancy-associated microRNAs in maternal circulation may represent a channel for fetal-maternal communication. However, the role of pregnancy-associated microRNAs in the development and prediction of GDM remains unknown. The goal of this project is to identify a potential early predictor of gestational diabetes risk.