Birth Defects Study To Evaluate Pregnancy exposureS (BD-STEPS)

The summary for the Birth Defects Study To Evaluate Pregnancy exposureS (BD-STEPS) grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ERA, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

Birth Defects Study To Evaluate Pregnancy exposureS (BD-STEPS): Birth defects affect about three percent of all births in the United States and are a leading cause of infant mortality, morbidity, and healthcare costs. Birth defects account for one in five infant deaths and contribute substantially to long-term disability. Although some causes of birth defects have been identified (e.g., genetics, medications, and environmental exposures), the causes of two-thirds of birth defects remain unknown. In 1996 Congress appropriated funds to develop the Centers for Birth Defects Research and Prevention (CBDRP). Beginning that fiscal year, CDC awarded cooperative agreements to up to 9 different centers. The two major collaborative activities of the centers have been case-control studies called the National Birth Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS), which collected data for deliveries between 1997 and 2011, and the Birth Defects Study To Evaluate Pregnancy exposureS (BD-STEPS), which began collecting data for deliveries in 2014 and is ongoing through 2023. To support research assessing risk factors for stillbirths (fetal deaths at 20 or more weeks gestation), a largely understudied pregnancy outcome, a case-control study of risk factors for stillbirth was added to BD-STEPS in 2015. This notice of funding opportunity will continue to support the capacity of BD-STEPS to identify novel epidemiologic and genetic risk factors for major, structural birth defects and for stillbirths, and to provide research findings that are intended to be translated into public health prevention messages, as warranted. Component A (BD-STEPS Core): Support the epidemiological and genetic birth defect-related research capabilities of BD-STEPS, with a focus on studying: (1) maternal chronic diseases and their treatments; (2) infectious disease in pregnancy; and (3) medications used during pregnancy. Component B (BD-STEPS Stillbirth): Support the exploration of modifiable risk factors for stillbirths. Component B recipients must apply for and receive concurrent Component A funding. New applicants and current BD-STEPS recipients are encouraged to apply for both components.