PRINDOUT project receives €1 million grant from ZonMW Open Competition
It brings us great joy to share that our PRINDOUT project has been awarded a grant from ZonMW open competition in a collaboration between Utrecht University (Chantal Kemner), the Radboudumc (Lilly Verhagen), and UMC Utrecht (Patricia Bruijning-Verhagen and Marieke de Hoog).
PRINDOUT focuses on understanding how respiratory infections during pregnancy, ranging from common colds to more severe respiratory infections, can impact the developing brain, cognition, and behavior of the unborn child. We hypothesize that these infections disrupt the wiring of the baby’s brain, potentially leading to attention deficits and behavioral challenges later in life.
Our approach involves comprehensive assessments of pregnant women’s infections through blood and saliva samples. By combining this data with longitudinal studies tracking the development of brain networks in their offspring, we aim to unravel the complex mechanisms underlying prenatal infection effects.
With the support of ZonMW and our collaborators, we hope to make significant strides in understanding and mitigating the impact of prenatal infections on child development. Ultimately, our findings will empower healthcare professionals to offer better guidance to pregnant women and provide interventions to support children facing behavioral challenges.
The PRINDOUT project is set to commence in fall 2024, and we are excited to get started! Stay tuned for updates.
