# Elucidating the high and heterogeneous risk of gestational diabetes among Asian Americans: an integrative approach of metabolomics, lifestyles, and social determinants

> **NIH MD R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · 2026 · $643,885

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), one of the most common and growing complications in pregnancy,
presents striking racial and ethnic disparities. Asian American women are twice as likely to have GDM as non-
Hispanic White women and there is also substantial heterogeneity in GDM rates across Asian subpopulations.
The molecular mechanisms and upstream determinants for the high and heterogeneous risk of GDM across
Asian subpopulations remain largely understudied since they are under-represented in health research. As one
of the fastest-growing racial and ethnic groups in the US, it is crucial to better understand the molecular
differences and similarities across Asian subpopulations to help elucidate the pathophysiology underlying their
high and heterogeneous risk of GDM. Metabolomics is a powerful tool for comprehensively evaluating global
metabolic signatures and understanding biological pathways. However, metabolomics studies among pregnant
individuals are still limited and most have no or few Asian Americans. This study aimed to fill the current data
and knowledge gaps for GDM disparity research by using a highly cost-efficient design that leverages the existing
and unique resources: the California (CA) Alpha-fetoprotein Screening Program (CA-AFSP) and the Pregnancy
Environment and Lifestyle Study (PETALS). In the discovery sample from the CA-AFSP program which covers
>74% of the pregnant individuals in Southern CA, we propose to perform integrated untargeted and targeted
metabolomic profiling using stored serum samples collected in early-mid pregnancy (15-19 gestational weeks)
from 1500 individuals of four Asian subpopulations (i.e., 375 each of Chinese, Filipinos, Indian, and Vietnamese).
We will identify metabolomic signatures in early-mid pregnancy associated with GDM in the CA-AFSP program
and determine which metabolites and pathways overlap across all Asian Americans or distinguish across Asian
subpopulations (Aim 1). We will const

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11371346
- **Project number:** 5R01MD018459-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
- **Principal Investigator:** Liwei  Chen; Yeyi  Zhu
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** MD
- **Fiscal year:** 2026
- **Award amount:** $643,885
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-24T00:00:00 → 2028-04-30T00:00:00

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11371346

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11371346, Elucidating the high and heterogeneous risk of gestational diabetes among Asian Americans: an integrative approach of metabolomics, lifestyles, and social determinants (5R01MD018459-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11371346. Licensed CC0.

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