MIDB Researchers Awarded $3.3M NIH Grant to Study Link Between Iron Deficiency, Thyroid Hormone, and Brain Development

A research team led by the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain (MIDB) at the University of Minnesota has received a five-year, $3.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to explore how iron deficiency and thyroid hormone interact during early brain development.

The project, titled “Thyroid Hormone as a Key Regulator of Neurodevelopment During Early Life Iron Deficiency,” will investigate the biological mechanisms that lead to developmental and cognitive deficits in infants who experience iron deficiency– a condition that affects up to one in three pregnant women worldwide. 

Notably, as many as 30% of those women are also believed to have thyroid dysfunction, underscoring the importance of understanding how these two systems influence one another. Because thyroid hormone production depends on iron, researchers suspect that changes in thyroid hormone levels could play a key role in the brain’s response to iron deficiency.

“We know that iron deficiency during early life impairs brain development, but there’s still a gap in understanding how and when restoring iron can prevent long-term deficits,” said Thomas Bastian, PhD, a member of MIDB and assistant professor in the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Department of Pediatrics. “By uncovering the biology behind these processes, we hope to identify new therapeutic targets to support healthy brain development.”

The interdisciplinary project leverages MIDB’s collaborative environment, bringing together experts from across the University. The research team includes Dr. Bastian, Phu Tran, PhD, and Michael Georgieff, MD from MIDB, along with Grant Anderson, PhD, from the College of Pharmacy on the University of Minnesota Duluth campus. Using expertise from their respective areas– like cell biology, gene transcription, metabolism– the researchers will examine how iron and thyroid hormone interact at multiple levels, from individual brain cells to the whole body.

“This is a population– pregnant women and their infants– that may be experiencing both iron deficiency and thyroid dysfunction,” added Dr. Bastian. “Our ultimate goal is to provide the biological foundation for future clinical studies that test for and address both conditions during pregnancy.”

The study began in September 2025 and will continue through May 2030. The successful application for this grant leveraged initial data and preliminary findings developed from a pilot project originally funded by an MIDB Seed Grant. For updates, contact [email protected].