DURHAM, N.C. — June 29, 2026 — The Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF) is pleased to announce the seven recipients of the 2026 Next Gen Pregnancy Initiative (NGP), a program supporting innovative research that advances understanding of pregnancy and pregnancy-related complications. The initiative invests in bold, interdisciplinary science aimed at improving outcomes for pregnant individuals and infants while deepening our understanding of the biological processes that shape healthy pregnancies.
The 2026 Next Gen Pregnancy Initiative recipients are:
Jennifer Chan, PhD, MSc
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Project: Activity-dependent chromatin regulation as a driver of persistent maternal neuroplasticity
Kristin Gerson, MD, PhD
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
Project: Leveraging transcriptomic insights into premature cervical softening in pregnancy: a novel role for lipid nanoparticles in preterm birth prevention
Sylvie Girard, PhD
Mayo Clinic
Project: Translating Placental Pathology Driven Immune Signatures into Early Biomarkers of Infant Neurodevelopment
Thomas Jansson, MD, PhD
University of Colorado Denver
Project: The effect of placental proteins on outcomes in a novel guinea pig model of extreme prematurity
Tippi Mackenzie, MD
University of California, San Francisco
Project: Developing genome editing strategies to prevent pregnancy complications in hydrops fetalis
Rajiv McCoy, PhD
Johns Hopkins University
Project: Uncovering genetic mechanisms of pregnancy loss across parental and fetal genomes
Soumen Paul, PhD, MSc
University of Kansas Medical Center Research Institute
Project: Protein Arginine Methylation and Pregnancy
“Pregnancy is a remarkable biological process that remains incompletely understood despite its profound impact on human health,” said Paige Cooper Byas, PhD, program officer for NGP. “We are excited to support this outstanding group of investigators as they advance discoveries that could transform maternal and fetal health.”
The Next Gen Pregnancy Initiative seeks to catalyze research in areas that have historically been underexplored despite their significance to public health. The 2026 awardees represent a diverse range of disciplines, including genetics, developmental biology, neuroscience, immunology, genome editing, and translational medicine. Their projects address key priority areas for the initiative, including normal pregnancy biology, preeclampsia, preterm birth, pregnancy loss, and fetal development.
About the Burroughs Wellcome Fund
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is an independent private foundation dedicated to advancing the biomedical sciences by supporting research and education. The Fund serves and strengthens society by supporting scientists and educators at key stages of their careers and by fostering innovative approaches to scientific discovery and learning. For more information, visit Burroughs Wellcome Fund.
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