# Iowa CBDRP Comp A: BD-STEPS Core

> **NIH ALLCDC U01** · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · 2024 · $570,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Major birth defects (BDs) affect morbidity and mortality of tens of thousands of newborns annually in the US.
Environmental (i.e. non-inherited) exposures or gene variants are estimated to explain about one-third of BDs
that occur. Since 1996, the Iowa Center for Birth Defects Research and Prevention (CBDRP) has played a
leadership role in surveillance and research of major BDs. Partnerships with the State of Iowa Department of
Health and Human Services and Iowa Registry for Congenital and Inherited Disorders have allowed the Iowa
CBDRP timely access to comprehensive surveillance data on deliveries to Iowa resident mothers for
enrollment in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study and Birth Defects Study To Evaluate Pregnancy
exposureS (BD-STEPS). Using exposure and genomic data collected, the Iowa CBDRP has made substantial
contributions to understanding the etiopathogenesis of major BDs, ranging from prevalence estimates to gene-
environmental interaction effects, with this work being disseminated in high-impact journals. Findings published
support multifactorial inheritance patterns that vary among BDs across system groups and among BD
subtypes within a system group. These findings of a heterogeneous etiopathogenesis reinforces the need to
continue to investigate major BD phenotypes individually. With this application, the Iowa CBDRP proposes to
continue its successful participation in BD-STEPS by timely ascertaining and classifying pregnancies with and
without specific major BDs (Aim 1) and developing and evaluating novel modes of exposure data collection
(Aim 2). Using data collected, the Iowa CBDRP proposes to expand the traditional epidemiology approach by
integrating a multi-omics systems epidemiology approach to more fully investigate risk factors for specific
major BDs (Aim 3). The traditional epidemiology approach will be used to examine associations between BD-
STEPS exposure data and defects, with international datasets used to conduct confirmation analyses. The
systems epidemiology approach will incorporate state-of-the-art genomic studies and machine learning
analytics to improve characterization of child phenomes and exposomes and examine gene-environmental
interaction effects. Concurrent with the proposed study activities will be training bachelor’s, predoctoral and
postdoctoral research scholars to advance the next generation of birth defect researchers (Aim 4). The
proposed research and training are not only consistent with BD-STEPS required activities (RFA-DD-23-001)
but expands and innovates such activities by improved delineation of exposure pathways and genetic
susceptibilities influencing development of specific major BDs. The interdisciplinary expertise of our key
personnel and collaborators, along with access to rich exposure and biological data from independent
populations, provides the Iowa CBDRP unique resources among all CBDRPs in disseminating novel findings in
peer-reviewed publications. Findings...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10907385
- **Project number:** 5U01DD001307-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
- **Principal Investigator:** KRISTIN CONWAY
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** ALLCDC
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $570,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-01 → 2027-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10907385

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10907385, Iowa CBDRP Comp A: BD-STEPS Core (5U01DD001307-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10907385. Licensed CC0.

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