08/21/2026
Maternal obesity affects approximately one in three pregnancies in the United States, with studies showing that children born to mothers with obesity are at greater risk for Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity later in life. Neonatologist and basic science researcher Lim Kua, MD, is leading research at Riley Children’s Health to determine how maternal obesity influences a baby’s developing immune and metabolic systems.
In a recent study published in Molecular Metabolism, Dr. Kua and colleagues demonstrated that maternal obesity impairs offspring hematopoietic stem cell function, leading to altered immune development and glucose intolerance. These findings identify hematopoietic stem cells as a potential mechanistic link between adverse prenatal exposures and cardiometabolic disease susceptibility, providing new insight into the developmental origins of health and disease.
“Our research has the potential to break a cycle that can persist across generations,” said Dr. Kua, who conducts his research at the Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research at Riley Children’s and Indiana University School of Medicine. “By understanding how disease risk begins during development, we can identify opportunities to intervene earlier, potentially during pregnancy or childhood, and improve long-term health outcomes.”
In this Q&A, Dr. Kua answers questions about his research and how the robust and collaborative research environment at Riley Children’s and IU School of Medicine supports his role as a physician-scientist.
Q: What types of research programs are currently underway in your lab?
Dr. Kua: We are using preclinical models to investigate how maternal obesity alters developmental pathways that may contribute to metabolic disease later in life. These studies help us identify potential biological mechanisms and generate new ideas that may eventually lead to innovative therapies or prevention strategies.
In addition, we are conducting translational research focused on infants born to mothers with obesity. One particularly exciting area of research involves studying cells collected from umbilical cord blood at birth. These cells include hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, which help build the body’s blood and immune systems and provide a unique window into a baby’s earliest development. Through collaborations with other IU School of Medicine investigators, we are examining whether maternal obesity alters these cells before birth and whether those changes may influence future health outcomes. These efforts will help identify the earliest biological changes associated with disease risk and reveal new opportunities to improve long-term health before chronic disease develops.
Q: How have Riley Children’s and IU School of Medicine supported your work as an independent researcher?
Dr. Kua: A major factor that attracted me to Riley Children’s and IU School of Medicine is the strong organizational commitment to supporting physician-scientists. Passionate about both patient care and research, I was looking for an environment where discoveries made in the laboratory could be translated into meaningful improvements for children and families. Riley and IU provide outstanding support for research while maintaining a strong focus on patient-centered care.
Q: How does conducting research at Riley Children’s contribute to the success of your research?
Dr. Kua: One of the greatest strengths of Riley and IU School of Medicine is the close integration between clinical care and research. Being able to work in an environment where patients, clinicians and scientists are connected creates tremendous opportunities for meaningful discovery. Equally important is the collaborative culture across our campus. Researchers from many different disciplines regularly work together to address complex questions that no single investigator could tackle alone.
These collaborations have been essential for my work, allowing our team to combine expertise in neonatology, metabolism, immunology, developmental biology and clinical research to better understand how early-life exposures influence lifelong health.
Dr. Kua also noted that partnerships between clinicians and researchers at Riley Children’s means questions that arise in patient care can be studied in the laboratory, and discoveries made in the lab can be translated back into better care for children. Riley Children’s fosters a collaborative approach that helps ensure research remains focused on solving the real-world challenges faced by children and families.
Learn more
Check out the Neonatology section of the latest Riley Children’s Health annual report for more information about treatment, programs, novel procedures and research.