Multicohort analysis unveils axon guidance pathways linking small for gestational age to spirometric restriction (opens in new tab)

Children born small for gestational age (SGA) face elevated risks of metabolic, cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurodevelopmental disorders, as well as premature mortality, yet the underlying mechanisms remain only partly understood. We analyze blood proteomic data from multiple birth cohorts to identify molecular pathways linked to SGA and to later-life lung function. We find that approximately one-third of SGA children exhibit a distinct molecular endotype marked by dysregulation of axon-...