Infant brain development, gut microbiome and epigenome responses to environmental exposure to metals

• Grant number: 24/10844-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: January 01, 2025
• End date: December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Public Health
• Principal Investigator: Carla Romano Taddei
• Grantee: Nathalia Ferrazzo Naspolini
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Infants growing up in low- and middle-income countries are at increased risk for adverse childhood experiences including exposure to environmental pollution. This exposure poses a significant threat to infants due to their ongoing organ and systems development, including the microbiome. The maturation of the microbiome runs parallel to the host's development, encompassing the endocrine, mucosal immune, and central nervous systems. Disruptions to this intricate process of maturation heighten the susceptibility to metabolic, immune, and behavioral disorders. The microbial mechanisms influencing infant development are not yet fully understood. However, it is known that these effects may occur through the production of neuroactive compounds and by inducing specific patterns of DNA methylation. Understanding the biological mechanisms affected by environmental exposures during early life may be critical to understanding child development, developmental disparities and to inform preventive interventions. In this project, taking advantage of available samples and data of a large infant cohort study our main goal is to identify potential gut microbial and epigenetic biomarkers associated with environmental exposure to metals. These biomarkers may inform predictive models to identify infants with deficits in language and cognitive development.