March of Dimes 公布 2026 年 Basil O'Connor 奖获奖者

, /PRNewswire/ -- March of Dimes, a national leader in maternal and infant health research, today announced the winners of the 2026 Basil O'Connor Starter Scholar Research Awards. This year's recipients, each receiving awards of $150,000, are outstanding early-career scientists progressing maternal and infant health. They are:

• Dr. Helen Vuong, PhD, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities in Minneapolis
• Dr. Laurie Eldredge, MD, PhD, a pediatric pulmonologist and assistant professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle

"The March of Dimes Basil O'Connor Starter Scholar Research Awards have a long and storied history of honoring remarkable scientists who go on to make foundational scientific discoveries, preside over governmental health agencies, and even win the Nobel Prize in Medicine," said Dr. Emre Seli, MD, Chief Scientific Advisor at March of Dimes. "And it's in that same tradition of excellence that we present this year's awards to two scientists working to transform their respective disciplines."

Dr. Vuong, a scientist focused on the intersection of the maternal gut microbiome and fetal neurobiology, will investigate what impact maternal iron has on fetal brain development and whether the essential micronutrient, which is deficient in 50 percent of pregnant women globally, relies on the maternal gut microbiome to exert its influence on the fetal brain. Building on her previous research, which found that a healthy maternal gut microbiome supports fetal brain development partially through small molecules called metabolites, Dr. Vuong will investigate whether iron deficiency alters the composition of the gut microbiome, changes bioavailability of metabolites, and has an adverse impact on the fetal brain. Importantly, her efforts under the grant will also examine whether iron's effect on the fetal brain depends on the presence of a gut microbiome, and whether the gut microbiome and its products can mitigate negative changes to the fetal brain resulting from low maternal iron stores. The goal of the work is to understand iron's role in fetal brain development and whether the maternal gut microbiome is central to that process.

A physician scientist focused on research into bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a serious lung condition that affects preterm babies and can lead to lifelong lung disease, Dr. Eldredge's grant will focus on investigating whether a protein called vimentin could be an effective predictor of severe BPD and whether it could be manipulated to mitigate airway disease progression. This project builds on Dr. Eldredge's previous work that found babies with severe BPD exhibit abnormal activity in epithelial cells that line the respiratory tract, and that vimentin levels may be a possible biomarker of this abnormal activity, and thus, a predictor of severe BPD. As part of her Basil O'Connor grant, Dr. Eldredge will probe whether vimentin levels correlate with development of BPD-related airway disease over time and what specific role the biomarker plays in relation to BPD — whether it is just an informant, or if it could be elevated or lowered to alter disease trajectory. The goal of her work is to find reliable biomarkers and targeted therapeutics to predict and treat severe BPD.

"Dr. Vuong's original work to determine whether the maternal gut microbiome plays a central role in the transfer of iron to the fetal brain will teach us about vital pathways of nutrient transfer, while Dr. Eldredge's investigation into vimentin's power to act as an effective biomarker for severe BPD with airway obstruction aims to bring scientists closer to diagnostic tools for this condition," continued Dr. Seli. "Both inquiries are novel, vital, and carry the potential to transform outcomes for moms and babies in this lifetime."

The Basil O'Connor Awards, named after March of Dimes' first chairman and president, are part of the organization's research strategy to address the maternal and infant health crisis with dedicated funding to support data collection and analysis, scientific discovery, and translational and social science research by early-career investigators shaping tomorrow's possibilities.

Learn more about the Basil O'Connor Awards here.

About March of Dimes

March of Dimes leads the fight for the health of all moms and babies. We support research, education, and advocacy, and provide programs and services so that every family can get the best possible start. Since 1938, we've built a successful legacy to support every pregnant person and every family. Visit marchofdimes.org for more information in multiple languages.

SOURCE March of Dimes