Skip to menu Skip to content Skip to footer

Understanding nicotine metabolism during pregnancy in First Nations peoples (2025-2027)

Abstract

This project aims to be the world-first to investigate the ways Indigenous Australians metabolise nicotine over pregnancy. Differences in nicotine metabolism are caused by genetic factors, yet data mainly comes from white women in the US & UK, and there is no scientific data on how Indigenous mothers metabolise nicotine. This project will utilise biochemical & genomic analysis to generate this new knowledge. Expected outcomes include highly accurate models for predicting nicotine levels over pregnancy & new theories linking Indigenous heritage with specific metabolism types. This would yield significant benefits through adding to the global knowledgebase, challenging generalisation of non-Indigenous data, & future impacts on health policy.

Experts

Dr Jared Miles

Affiliate of UQ Poche Centre for Indigenous Health
UQ Poche Centre for Indigenous Health
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences
Senior Lecturer
School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences
Jared Miles
Jared Miles

Associate Professor Kathryn Steadman

Affiliate of Centre of Research Excellence on Achieving the Tobacco Endgame
Centre of Research Excellence on Achieving the Tobacco Endgame
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences
Associate Professor
School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences
Kathryn Steadman
Kathryn Steadman

Dr Qiuda Zheng

ARC DECRA Research Fellow
Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences
Affiliate of Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Science
Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences
Qiuda Zheng