Placental Scientist Wins March of Dimes Agnes Higgins Award
Dr. Jansson demonstrated that the placenta, regulated by maternal nutrition and metabolism, plays a key role in determining fetal growth.
ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- March of Dimes, the national leader in maternal and infant health research, today announced Thomas Jansson, MD, PhD, a global leader in the field of placental function, mother-baby nutrient transfer, and fetal growth, as the 2026 recipient of the organization's Agnes Higgins Award in Maternal-Fetal Nutrition. He will receive the award on April 25 at the annual Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) meeting in Boston.
Dr. Jansson, Vice Chair of Research for the University of Colorado Anschutz Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Florence Crozier Cobb Endowed Professor and Chief of the Division of Reproductive Sciences, has played a major role in establishing the placenta as the primary regulator of fetal growth. His work identified the placenta as a critical signaling hub that responds to maternal nutrition and metabolism to orchestrate fetal development, fundamentally reshaping understanding of maternal-fetal biology and illuminating how these processes influence babies' short-term outcomes and lifelong cardiovascular and metabolic health.
At the core of his scientific triumphs is a protein signaling hub called mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin), which exists in all human cells, including placental cells. Dr. Jansson's tireless research demonstrated, beyond the associative evidence, that placental mTOR serves as a key regulator of fetal growth based on a mother's health signals. The hub integrates information about dietary nutrients, hormones, oxygen supply, and placental blood flow, becoming activated, inhibited, or remaining in homeostasis depending on maternal conditions.
Dr. Jansson showed that placental mTOR activation leads to fetal overgrowth, mTOR inhibition results in fetal growth restriction, and mTOR homeostasis is linked to optimal birth weight. These findings are critically important, as both fetal under- and over-growth are linked with pregnancy complications and increased risk of diabetes, obesity, and heart disease later in life.
"Dr. Jansson's lifetime of work is transformative and translational, advancing the field's grasp on the complexities of fetal growth and inspiring various mTOR-related therapeutics currently under development, like gene targeting, to put at-risk babies on a better trajectory," said March of Dimes Chief Scientific Advisor Dr. Emre Seli. "His contributions have been crucial, and he is an undisputed pioneer in the field of placental science and fetal growth."
Dr. Jansson's research shifted longstanding assumptions away from the belief that the fetus independently regulates nutrient transfer across the placenta. Instead, his work demonstrated that the placenta is the key regulator of fetal growth based on maternal health status. In cases of maternal starvation, where the mother is unable to provide nutrients and oxygen to support normal fetal growth, placental mTOR inhibits nutrient transport from the mother to the fetus — an evolutionary adaptation to ensure their survival. In other words, the fetus of a starving or oxygen-deprived mother cannot draw nutrients to support its own growth, as previously believed; instead, placental mTOR acts as a gatekeeper, regulating nutrient transfer based on maternal supply rather than fetal demand. This results in fetal growth restriction. Conversely, when mTOR senses nutritional surplus, such as high levels of glucose, amino acids, lipids, and hormones like insulin common in pregnancies with maternal obesity or gestational diabetes, the hub activates, potentially leading to fetal overgrowth.
In 2017, Dr. Jansson also identified folate as a key nutrient influencing placental mTOR, helping to explain why low folate intake is linked to fetal growth restriction. His group further discovered that adiponectin, a hormone released from maternal fat, is a key messenger to mTOR about maternal nutrition and metabolism, spiking in starving mothers but dipping in ones with gestational diabetes or obesity. His influential research in animal models found that supplementing adiponectin in obese mothers normalized mTOR signaling and fetal growth and prevented obesity, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular disease in adult offspring.
More recently, Dr. Jansson is behind one of the most novel placental discoveries of the past five years: identifying beneficial proteins secreted by the placenta into fetal circulation. These proteins, detected in the cord blood of early preterm babies, play essential roles in organ development, including in the lungs and brain, but disappear shortly after birth. Dr. Jansson's preliminary research in relevant model organisms suggests these proteins are lifesaving for preterm offspring, laying the groundwork for future validation studies and potential use in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
"The placenta is a complex, powerful and fascinating organ that holds the keys to prenatal, maternal, fetal, and adult health, so unraveling its role in fetal growth and development has been endlessly gratifying," said Dr. Jansson. "And then to be recognized for this work by March of Dimes is a true honor — especially because it shines more light on the intersection of maternal nutrition, placental function, and fetal health, igniting further study by colleagues around the world and invigorating the development of supplements, therapeutics, and dietary protocols that aim to put more babies on the track toward lifelong health."
About March of Dimes
March of Dimes leads the fight for the health of all moms and babies. We support research, education, and advocacy, and provide programs and services so that every family can have the best possible start. Since 1938, we've built a successful legacy to support every pregnant person and every family. Visit marchofdimes.org or nacersano.org for more information. Find us on Facebook and follow us with #marchofdimes and @marchofdimes.
SOURCE March of Dimes
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