# Assessment of Early Life PFAS Exposure in Perinatal Biospecimens, Infant Formula, and Breastmilk.

> **NIH NIH K01** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2024 · $158,895

## Abstract

Project Summary (Abstract)
 Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are a public health concern given their environmental
persistence, long biological half-life in humans, and related health effects. Exposure to PFAS during gestation,
infancy, and childhood is associated with low birth weight, preeclampsia, hypothyroidism, reduced vaccine
response, and metabolic alterations. The phase out of legacy PFAS, most prominently perfluorooctanoic acid
and (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), has led to increased manufacturing of understudied PFAS,
which contain shorter C-F chain lengths or branched structures. However, limited information is available
regarding the extent of exposure and toxicity of these understudied PFAS. Thus, there is a critical need to
understand the contribution of understudied, or replacement, PFAS to total PFAS exposure. This proposal will
fill gaps in our knowledge of human exposure to understudied PFAS during developmentally sensitive periods
of life using a combination of targeted and untargeted analytical methods in two cohorts. The central hypothesis
will be tested and our overall objectives will be accomplished by pursuing two specific aims: (1) Characterize the
relations of EOF, legacy PFAS, and understudied PFAS within and between maternal serum, placenta, and cord
blood samples and (2) Quantify EOF, legacy PFAS, and understudied PFAS levels in breastmilk and formula
and determine their contribution to infant serum EOF, legacy PFAS and understudied PFAS levels.
Characterizing the magnitude of exposure to understudied, replacement PFAS is a critical need in the risk
assessment process and will help guide future studies in the selection of candidate PFAS to examine.
Furthermore, understanding how milk and formula contribute to infant PFAS body burden can help inform
breastfeeding guidance in exposed populations. This career development award will extend the candidate’s prior
training and research experience in environmental engineering and environmental analytical chemistry by
providing expert mentoring and protected time to 1) gain experiential learning in study design for epidemiological
and chemical exposure research, 2) develop expertise in untargeted PFAS analysis, 3) acquire proficiency in
advanced statistical data analysis, and 4) develop professional and leadership skills. Her primary mentor Dr.
Joseph Braun (epidemiology, chemical exposure), along with members of her mentoring team Dr. Krystal Pollitt
(untargeted PFAS analysis) and Dr. Shelley Liu (statistics), will provide the needed mentoring for the candidate
to establish a productive independent research program. This will be achieved through hands-on training that
includes coursework, conferences, grant development, scientific communication, and career development skills.
Upon successful completion of the training portion of this grant, it is expected that Dr. Manz will be successful
as an independent investigator and prepared to establish a R...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10917348
- **Project number:** 5K01ES035398-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** Katherine Elizabeth Manz
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $158,895
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-01 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10917348

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10917348, Assessment of Early Life PFAS Exposure in Perinatal Biospecimens, Infant Formula, and Breastmilk. (5K01ES035398-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10917348. Licensed CC0.

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