College of Medicine
Lemas Lab
Led by Dominick Lemas · Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics
What we study
The Lemas Lab studies how gut microflora affects maternal-infant metabolism, focusing on fetal origins of pediatric obesity. They analyze host-microbe interactions to understand metabolic regulation.
What working here is like
- Wet lab
- Surveys & interviews
- Computational
- Human participants
- Cells in a dish
- Coding helps
- Projects
- 2
- Papers
- 6
Current projects
Microbe‑derived plasma metabolites: Regulators of cytotrophoblast function and resulting health implications
The lab investigates how a gut‑microbiome metabolite, 3‑hydroxyphenyl acetic acid, affects placental cells. Students will treat cells with the metabolite, measure gene expression, and explore links to pregnancy health.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 561
The Impact of Maternal Iron Status During Pregnancy on Infant Health Outcomes
The lab studies how iron intake in the third trimester relates to baby weight and pregnancy length. The student used 42 diet records, grouped women by risk of low iron, and found that higher iron intake is linked to higher birth weight but not to gestational age.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 262
Summaries are written by AI in plain language from public symposium abstracts and may be imperfect.
Recent papers, explained
- Recruiting Adolescent Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Patients for Research Studies: Assessing a Community-Partnered Approach
2026 · Childhood Obesity
Tests whether working with community groups helps recruit more diverse patients for bariatric surgery studies.
- Implementation of a Family Support Grant to Subsidize Caregiving Needs and Support Attendance at American Society for Nutrition’s Annual Professional Scientific Conference
2026 · UNC Libraries
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- A Qualitative Assessment of Preoperative Educational Needs Among Adolescent Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Patients and Parents or Guardians
2026 · Childhood Obesity
Asks teens and parents about what they need to learn before weight-loss surgery.
- Response to “Prepregnancy GLP ‐ 1 Receptor Agonist Use: Unaccounted Pretreatment BMI May Distort Obstetric Outcome Signals in Real‐World Studies”
2026 · Obesity
- Prepregnancy GLP ‐ 1RA Exposure and Risk of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy Among Women With Obesity and Diabetes
2026 · Obesity
Tests whether GLP-1RA use before pregnancy raises risks for pregnancy complications in obese, diabetic women.
- Comparative Effectiveness of Antihypertensive Medications in Children With Chronic Kidney Disease
2026 · Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
Compares two blood pressure treatments for kids with kidney disease.
Plain-language summaries are AI-written and reviewed by us; check the paper for details.
How to reach out
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