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Birth Defects
Home > Research > Centers for
Birth Defects Research |
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Profiles of the Centers for Birth
Defects Research and Prevention
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Each Center for Birth Defects Research and
Prevention has a system for collecting data on all babies with birth
defects born in its state. The centers use these data to—
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Find trends in birth defects.
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Suggest areas for further research.
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Find factors linked with birth defects.
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Address community concerns about the
environment’s effects on birth defects.
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Measure how well screening and prevention
efforts are working.
The centers take part in the
National Birth Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS) and study birth
defects of local or regional interest. They also use
state-of-the-art technology to study how genes affect birth defects.
Click on a state to read more about the activities of its research
center.
Georgia/CDC | Arkansas |
California | Iowa |
Massachusetts | New York | North
Carolina | Texas | Utah
Georgia Center, CDC
CDC oversees the CBDRP and gives technical support to the centers. CDC
is also the Georgia study site for the collaborative study.
Being a study site has helped CDC strengthen its research agenda,
particularly in studies of how genes and the environment interact to
cause birth defects. It has also made the most of CDC staff members'
expertise and participation in various birth defects research projects.
To strengthen the capacity of the CBDRP to carry out research, CDC
mentors and trains young scientists in birth defects surveillance,
research, and prevention. The agency also encourages CBDRP researchers
to work together and guides new epidemiologic research.
Center-specific research
In addition to taking part in the study, CDC is involved in the
following other research projects and activities:
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Works with the National Council on Folic
Acid to teach women of childbearing age to take folic acid to
lower the risk of having a baby with a neural tube defect, or
NTD. (NTDs are serious defects of the head and spine).
Easy-to-read materials have been developed to reach a group at
high risk for these defects.
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Works with Beijing Medical University to
find risk factors for birth defects and put prevention efforts
into practice in two areas of the People's Republic of China.
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Helped set up and directs the National Birth
Defects Prevention Network. This network is made up of people
working at national, state, and local levels to set standards
for birth defects tracking, design prevention activities, and
gather and share data.
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Helps states that are setting up birth
defects tracking programs; and funds states to promote the use
of data for prevention and intervention activities.
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“I am trying to identify risk factors for major
birth defects that can quickly lead to prevention
efforts.”
~Jennita Reefhuis,
Principal Investigator, Georgia Center (CDC)
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[Return to state map]
Arkansas
Center
The Arkansas Center is a combined effort of the Department of
Pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS),
the Arkansas Department of Health, and the Arkansas Children's
Hospital Research Institute. Since the Arkansas Center was set up,
the Arkansas Reproductive Health Monitoring System—the state's birth
defects tracking system since 1980—has expanded dramatically. In
2002, the creation of a state-of-the-art genomics laboratory greatly
enhanced the center’s capacity for genetics studies. The Arkansas
Center leads the Arkansas Folic Acid Coalition. The coalition
encourages Arkansas women of childbearing age to take folic acid
daily and to eat foods rich in folate to help prevent neural tube
defects (NTDs) such as spina bifida.
Center-specific research
In addition to taking part in the study, the Arkansas Center is
doing the following research:
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Studying how a woman's intake of
micronutrients and the way in which her body uses folic acid may
affect the risk for birth defects. The study focuses on heart
defects and NTDs such as spina bifida.
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Studying nondisjunction and factors that
cause trisomy, including Down Syndrome. (Nondisjunction is when
one or more pairs of chromosomes fail to split when cells
divide.)
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Assessing how much women know about folic
acid. [Read more]
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Teaching mothers of babies with NTDs about
taking folic acid before pregnancy to avoid having another baby
with an NTD.
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Studying cost and quality-of-life impacts of
birth defects to inform decisions about the economic value of
birth defects prevention.
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“Our research team is trying to find lifestyle
and genetic causes of congenital heart defects and
neural tube defects…If we can spot these factors
before pregnancy and create programs to lower these
risks, perhaps we can prevent some birth defects.”
~Charlotte Hobbs,
Principal Investigator, Arkansas Center |
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[Return to state map]
Iowa
Center
The Iowa Center is a joint effort of the Iowa Registry for Congenital
and Inherited Disorders and the Colleges of Public Health and Medicine
at the University of Iowa. The Iowa Registry has tracked birth defects
for more than 20 years and is the only surveillance system for birth
defects in the Midwest that uses active methods to find cases. Given its
location, the Iowa Center is uniquely positioned to study factors among
rural populations that might affect fetal development.
Center-specific research
In addition to taking part in the study, the Iowa Center is doing
the following research:
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Studying the link between compounds in
drinking water and adverse birth outcomes.
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Examining the link between exposure to
farming chemicals and birth defects.
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Studying genes, environmental exposures, and
their interactions as risk factors for orofacial clefts. [read more]
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Looking at the effects of fertility
treatments on the risk of birth defects.
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“I’m looking at how an individual’s genes can
change the risk of birth defects when a mother
smokes or drinks.”
~Paul Romitti,
Principal Investigator, Iowa Center |
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[Return to state map]
California Center
The California Center is a joint effort between the California
Department of Public Health, California Birth Defects Monitoring Program
(CBDMP) and the March of Dimes' California Research Division. California’s research team has more than
20 years experience studying birth defects. The center has one of the
world’s largest databanks on children with birth defects and a newly
created biological specimen bank. The state’s large, racially diverse
population puts this center in a unique position to find risk factors
for birth defects among Hispanics and Asians.
Center-specific research
In addition to participating in the study, the California Center is
doing the following research:
“My research focuses on neural tube defects,
oral clefts, and brain defects. I’m studying links
between genes, nutrients, and environment, with a
focus on folate-related genes.”
~Gary Shaw,
Principal Investigator, California Center
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Studying why Hispanics are at higher risk
for neural tube defects (NTDs) and why folic acid is not as
effective in preventing NTDs among Hispanics as among other
groups.
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Assessing how a wide range of risk
factors—maternal diet, weight, acculturation, life event stress,
socioeconomic status, and family history—relate to NTDs, cleft
lip and palate, and certain heart defects. [read
more]
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Studying the link between prepregnancy
obesity and NTDs.
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Investigating whether genes and markers of
inflammation raise the risk of heart, limb, or other birth
defects.
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Analyzing nutrient levels in blood collected
mid-pregnancy among mothers of babies with birth defects
compared with those of mothers of babies without defects.
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[Return to state map]
Massachusetts Center
The Massachusetts Center is made up of staff from the Massachusetts
Department of Public Health's Bureau of Family and Community Health,
Boston University's Slone Epidemiology Center (SEC), and the Active
Malformation Surveillance Program at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH).
The Massachusetts Center draws on SEC and BWH’s more than 50 years of
combined experience in birth defects research. It also draws on the
expertise of the region's clinicians and researchers and fosters
communication among them. The center's research focuses on tracking and
research methods; pediatric, reproductive, and social epidemiology;
heart defects, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, limb reduction defects,
and orofacial clefts; teratology; drug research; and health service
needs assessment.
Center-specific research
In addition to participating in the study, the Massachusetts Center
is doing the following research:
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Studying use of over-the-counter medicines
and herbal preparations as risk factors for birth defects.
[read more]
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Looking at genetic differences that affect
the body’s response to medicine and how those differences affect
birth defects.
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Examining the link between anti-epileptic
drugs and birth defects.
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Evaluating the risk for birth defects among
infants of diabetic mothers.
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Analyzing the impact of prenatal diagnosis
on the prevalence of birth defects, such as heart defects.
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Identifying patterns of multivitamin use
during pregnancy.
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Developing methods of classifying and
tracking birth defects.
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“My recent work has focused on treatments for
nausea and vomiting during pregnancy and how they
might harm the baby. The NBDPS collects data on
nausea and vomiting and medication use during
pregnancy, so it offers a chance to research
questions related to this common condition.”
~Marlene Anderka,
Principal Investigator,
Massachusetts Center |
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[Return to state map]
New York Center
The New York Center is part of the New York State Department of Health's
Congenital Malformations Registry (CMR) and the State University of New
York School of Public Health. This registry is one of the largest in the
nation, covering a racially and ethnically diverse population with about
270,000 births each year. The New York Center has enabled CMR to develop
partnerships that strengthen its work and has provided resources to
build its research agenda, particularly in the area of gene regulation
and birth defects. The center's areas of expertise include geographic
information systems, exposure studies, environmental epidemiology,
folate metabolism, genetics, and social factors related to birth
defects.
Center-specific research
In addition to participating in the study, the New York Center is
doing the following research:
“I hope that we will find dietary information
that will help women have a healthy pregnancy
and…find those medications that women need to avoid
but also provide information on which medications do
not increase risk.”
~Charlotte Druschel,
Principal Investigator,
New York Center
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Studying the link between birth defects and
maternal chronic diseases and medication use.
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Studying the role of common exposures, such
as the effects of caffeine and alcohol on heart defects, and how
genes and environmental exposures interact.
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Examining quality-of-care issues for
children with birth defects and supporting the development of
clinical guidelines to help doctors properly diagnose children
with birth defects.
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Studying screening methods to identify
children with heart defects before they leave the hospital.
[read more]
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Examining trends in abdominal wall defects
and factors in infant survival.
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Improving surveillance of neural tube
defects and fetal alcohol syndrome.
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Studying links between birth defects and
exposures at a parent’s job.
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[Return to state map]
North
Carolina Center
The North Carolina Center is a joint effort of the Department of
Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina School of Public Health
at Chapel Hill and the North Carolina Birth Defects Monitoring Program
in the state’s Division of Public Health. The North Carolina Center has
enhanced a strong multiagency collaboration that has been developed over
the years. The center has a great depth of expertise in the areas of
epidemiology, surveillance, embryology, teratology, and medical
genetics.
Center-specific research
In addition to taking part in the study, the North Carolina Center
is involved in the following research:
“We want to find out why, if two people are
exposed to the same hazard, one develops a condition
and the other doesn’t. We want to know why some
people are more at risk for developing a condition
than others.”
~Bob Meyer,
Co-Principal Investigator,
North Carolina Center
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Evaluating gene-environment interactions and
the risk of selected birth defects including neural tube
defects, oral clefts, and heart defects.
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Examining risk factors and patterns in
location and time for gastroschisis (a defect of the abdominal
wall).
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Studying parents’ work and environmental
exposures and the risk of birth defects.
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Evaluating how folic acid education programs
affect the prevalence of neural tube defects and intake of folic
acid.
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Assessing potential barriers to access and
use of health services among children with birth defects and
their families.
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[Return to state map]
Texas
Center
The Texas Center is located in the Texas Department of State Health
Services in Austin. The Texas Birth Defects Registry collects
information on all cases of births defects in the state (about
14,000 births each year). These data are used to carry out different
studies to look at the causes of birth defects associated with
ethnicity, genetics, diet, and the environment. The Texas Center is
in a unique position to add to our understanding of the causes of
birth defects because of the 1,200-mile shared border with Mexico.
Health disparities between Texans living along the border with
Mexico and those living in non-border areas have long been a public
health concern. The majority of border residents are Hispanic, and
data from this area can be compared with other populations to
separate geographic factors from ethnic factors.
Center-specific research
In addition to participating in the study, the Texas Center is doing
the following research:
“I’m interested in the link between birth
defects and substances in the environment and in the
workplace.”
~Peter Langlois,
Co-Principal Investigator,
Texas Center
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Studying the interaction of metabolic,
genetic, and environmental risk factors for certain birth
defects of the brain and spinal cord.
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Examining the link between neural tube
defects and risk factors such as maternal diabetes, obesity, and
dieting behaviors.
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Studying the link between birth defects and
environmental factors such as hazardous waste sites, air
pollution, pesticides, and water disinfection byproducts.
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Surveying women to examine knowledge,
attitudes, and practices related to the prevention of birth
defects, including folic acid use and alcohol use.
[read more]
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Analyzing the patterns of and risk factors
for oral clefts and clubfoot in Texas.
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Studying the interaction of metabolic,
genetic, and environmental risk factors for certain birth
defects of the brain and spinal cord.
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Examining the link between neural tube
defects and risk factors such as maternal diabetes, obesity, and
dieting behaviors.
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Studying the link between birth defects and
environmental factors such as hazardous waste sites, air
pollution, pesticides, and water disinfection byproducts.
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Surveying women to examine knowledge,
attitudes, and practices related to the prevention of birth
defects, including folic acid use and alcohol use.
[read more]
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Analyzing the patterns of and risk factors
for oral clefts and clubfoot in Texas.
[Return to state map]
Utah Center
The Utah Center is based within the Utah Birth Defect Network and is a
joint effort of the Utah Department of Health and the University of Utah
Health Sciences Center. The Utah Center brings internationally
recognized expertise in epidemiology, molecular and clinical genetics,
and family studies. With the state’s birth rate being 40% higher than
the U.S. birth rate, the Utah Center has unique opportunities to assess
outcomes and causes of birth defects.
Center-specific research
In addition to its participation in the study, the Utah Center is
involved in the following research:
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Studying the genetic determinants of heart
defects in Utah associated with disturbances of left-right
asymmetry.
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Working with Utah State University in a
case-control study of nutrient biomarkers (indicators) and
genetics of orofacial clefts in Utah.
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Using the Behavioral Risk Factor
Surveillance System to measure awareness, knowledge, and use of
folic acid among Utah women.
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“I want to understand heart defects, their
causes, and ways to prevent them from occurring.”
~Lorenzo Botto,
Co-Principal Investigator,
Utah Center
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[Return to state map]
Date:
January 11, 2008
Content source: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental
Disabilities
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