Grant: Environments, Genes and Chronic Disease - LOI

There is increasing evidence that a parent's diet or exposure to environmental stressors not only affects their own health but may predispose their offspring to developmental defects, metabolic disorders, obesity, neurodevelopmental disorders or other chronic diseases. The goal of this proposal is to study the effects and interactions of two environmental factors, the use of assisted reproductive technologies and folic acid supplementation, on gene programming events in early embryos, the placenta and the fetus during gestation, along with neurodevelopmental and metabolic outcomes in the children. Furthermore, we propose to study how both the mothers' and babies' ability to use the methyl groups provided by folic acid, based on their genotypes for common polymorphisms in folate pathway enzymes, will modulate the outcomes seen following birth. We expect to be able to develop science-based, more personalized rationales for recommendations for levels of folic acid supplementation for pregnant Canadians. We will develop sensitive early biomarkers for chronic disease affecting neurological and endocrine development of young children that begins in early life and has life-long consequences, allowing prevention strategies to be designed.