# MomGenes Fight PPD: Expanding to Increase Participation from Diverse Ancestries

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 2024 · $772,968

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
We propose MomGenes Fight PPD: Expanding to Increase Participation from Diverse Ancestries to
systematically investigate the genomic risk factors for postpartum depression (PPD) and their interplay with
major environmental contributors. PPD affects ~500,000 women annually in the US, with an increased
prevalence among black, indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) mothers. The effects of PPD are not only
present in the mothers, but also can be seen in offspring at a critical developmental period. Despite the public
health issues PPD poses, it is under-studied and its precise etiology is unknown. There is pressing need to
develop methods for early detection of PPD for all women to mitigate severe outcomes and identify features of
the disorder which can lead to personalized therapies.
The need for diversity is evident across biomedical research and healthcare. Within genomics, increasing
representation of BIPOC individuals results in improved locus discovery, fine-mapping, and genetic score
accuracy. However, as we diversify research participants, we must also capture environmental contributors to
PPD that disproportionately affect BIPOC women: adverse life events (ALE), which increase risk for PPD, and
discrimination. Combined with our proposed increase in phenotyping and genetic analyses, we can have a
more complete understanding of risk factors contributing to PPD.
In 2016, we began the MomGenes Fight PPD study (formerly called PPD ACT) to power genome-wide
association studies (GWAS) for PPD. Using our existing ascertainment platform, MomGenes will: Aim 1)
expand the study to recruit 8,000 new samples (4,000 PPD cases and 4,000 ancestry-matched controls) from
across the United States, focusing on BIPOC women and recontact ~12k existing MomGenes participants to
collect deeper phenotypes; Aim 2) conduct trans-ancestry GWAS meta-analyses for PPD and a pre-planned
set of secondary analyses using newly ascertained samples and existing PPD samples (~51,000 cases,
~141,000 controls from first GWAS and eight new cohorts); Aim 3) examine the impact of ALE (natural
disaster, sexual abuse, physical abuse) and discrimination (racial, gender, religion, sexual orientation, weight)
on PPD risk.
This proposal expands on our team’s success in PPD genomics research. Samples collected in our initial
MomGenes study contributed to the first PPD GWAS meta-analyses. With the proposed work, we will continue
to build on this success, identifying genetic and environmental factors that increase risk for PPD. Ultimately,
this can lead to actionable findings that aid all women suffering from PPD.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10856946
- **Project number:** 1R01MH135999-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- **Principal Investigator:** Jerry Guintivano
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $772,968
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-06-19 → 2029-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10856946

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10856946, MomGenes Fight PPD: Expanding to Increase Participation from Diverse Ancestries (1R01MH135999-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10856946. Licensed CC0.

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