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Prenatal diet and childhood atopic dermatitis

Award Number: F31AI198148
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 10/15/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 10/14/2027

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Prenatal diet and childhood atopic dermatitis - PROJECT SUMMARY Despite significant advances in pediatric dermatology, the prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD) continues to rise—doubling or tripling in industrialized countries and affecting nearly 1 in 4 children worldwide. This chronic inflammatory condition—marked by skin barrier dysfunction and immune dysregulation—causes relentless itching that compels children to scratch until their skin breaks, weeps plasma, and bleeds. Even in the face of these severe symptoms, current treatments offer only brief periods of relief—trapping patients in an unending cycle of flares and remission. The repercussions of this therapeutic limitation extend far beyond discomfort— contributing to a substantial disease burden marked by physical, psychological, and social suffering. This is reflected in AD having the highest disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) among all skin diseases globally. This alarming public health crisis demands urgent investigation into its developmental origins—because only by uncovering them can we identify early-life intervention strategies to prevent disease onset. Numerous studies have already shown that adverse maternal exposures during pregnancy—such as passive smoking, air pollutants, and antibiotics—significantly increase the risk of childhood AD. This evidence of fetal susceptibility points to prenatal diet as the next compelling area of study—given both its potential role in AD development and its highly modifiable nature. The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) framework supports this concept—demonstrating that prenatal nutritional deficiencies can disrupt fetal immune programming and organ development. These disrupted processes align with the known pathogenesis of AD—which is widely attributed to immune dysfunction and compromised skin barrier development. To advance our understanding of this relationship, this F31 proposal introduces the first U.S.-based prospective cohort study examining the impact of prenatal diet on childhood AD. Through the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program, this study will analyze 1,673 maternal–child dyads from pregnancy through early childhood—with follow-up beginning at birth and continuing until the development of childhood AD or censoring due to loss to follow-up or the end of follow-up (defined as age 6). Prenatal diet (exposure) will be assessed using two validated indices—the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) for dietary quality and the Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Pattern (EDIP) for inflammatory potential. This study will investigate how prenatal dietary quality (Aim 1), dietary inflammatory potential (Aim 2), and their joint effects (Exploratory Aim) influence both the time-to-childhood AD development (primary outcome) and the initial severity at onset (secondary outcome). Ultimately, this F31 proposal aims to identify modifiable prenatal dietary factors to inform future intervention studies and deepen the understanding of early-life determinants of AD.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $50,114 )
2026	2026	TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, THE	3451 WALNUT ST	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19104	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research	000	1	4/17/2026	NEW	$50,114
														Subtotal = $50,114

Grand Total All Awards = $50,114

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Prenatal diet and childhood atopic dermatitis

Award Number: F31AI198148

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 10/15/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 10/14/2027

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