How can diabetes during pregnancy affect childrens future health?

Qiaolin Dengs research group want to reveal how diabetes during pregnancy can affect childrens lifelong health—differently in boys and girls. Using advanced molecular tools together with the mouse model and human study, the team aims to uncover the causes and develop targeted treatments

This study investigates what affects long-term health outcomes in children to mother with diabetes

Qiaolin Deng at the Department of Molecular Biosciences, Wenner-Gren Institute is awarded as Ascending Investigator from Novo Nordisk Foundation Research Leader Program to investigate how maternal diabetes despite of good glycemic control during pregnancy can still affect childrens cardiometabolic health differently throughout their lives. The study aims to understand the key “programming” molecules secreted from the placenta on tissue development and function and why sons and daughters of diabetic mothers face different health risks as they grow up.

Bridging the research gap to improve patient care and children’s health

Although therapeutic advances in blood glucose control have greatly improved the overall health of patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D), pregnancy in these women still carries a significantly higher risk of complications that can affect their childrens health both in the short and long term.

Photo: Ignus Dreyer

"We believe there is a critical research gap in studying this growing patient population. Although blood glucose levels are appropriately managed during pregnancy, their children remain at elevated risk for cardiometabolic dysfunction. We hypothesize that additional factors beyond glucose control contribute to this risk, and that identifying these factors may offer new targets to better protect the health of the next generation", says Qiaolin Deng.

Advanced tools and models to uncover the mechanisms driving sex-specific effects in offspring

The team has already discovered that even mild hyperglycemia during pregnancy can impair placental function, leading to hypoxia and oxidative stress. Intriguingly, the resulting health outcomes differ between offspring—manifesting as cardiovascular insults in sons and increased adiposity in daughters. With significant support from the Novo Nordisk Foundation Research Leader Programme (approx. 10 million DKK10), the team will now integrate animal models with human studies and apply state-of-the-art techniques—including multiomic single-cell sequencing, spatial proteomics, and organoid culture—to uncover the precise mechanisms driving these sex-specific effects.

"Compared to other advanced research fields such as neuroscience, recently developed research tools have rarely been applied to the study of human placental development and its programming effects on fetal development and future physiological function. Our aim is to integrate these cutting-edge tools into the field of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) to address several critical questions”, says Qiaolin Deng.

The goal is to prevent adverse effects through early intervention

In addition to mechanistic studies using mouse models and human organoid culture systems, we will collaborate with clinicians and epidemiologists to leverage a unique cohort of children born to mothers with T1D. Our goal is to translate these findings into novel therapies using targeted nanoparticle delivery, with the ultimate goal of preventing adverse long-term health outcomes.

Why it matters

Women’s health is often understudied, partly due to the misconception that it affects only women. However, our research—alongside that of many others—demonstrates its long-term impact on both men and women. It is essential to bring greater attention to this field and to decode the 'black box' of the uterine environment—uncovering how it imprints epigenetic marks on key biological processes that “program” health across the generation. As the global prevalence of diabetes continues to rise, more women of reproductive age are affected. We aim for our research to advance patient care during this crucial window and support long-term health outcomes for children, thereby benefiting families for generations to come.

Type 1 diabetes in focus: three quick insights

Finland and Sweden have the highest incidence of type 1 diabetes in the world.
In Sweden, approximately 72,000 people were living with the disease in 2023.
Type 1 diabetes is not limited to childhood. Almost half of all cases are diagnosed in adulthood.