The Role Of Placental Transcription Factors In The Pathogenesis Of Fetal Growth Restriction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$601,582.00
Summary
We must understand the role of growth control genes in the growth of the human placenta. The reason is that in several significant placental disorders, placental formation is abnormal and prevents the placenta from functioning efficiently. This in turn, impacts on the growth of the developning fetus. A variety of established and innovative methods described in this project will determine the functions of the placental growth control genes and may lead to novel therapeutic targets.
As women age, the quality of their eggs decline and their chance of having a healthy baby plummets. The accumulation of DNA damage within the egg, and the reduced ability to repair this damage, may be one cause of compromised reproductive success in older women. This project will investigate the ability of eggs to repair DNA damage during maternal aging and will explore the importance of DNA repair to fertility and the transmission of high quality genetic material to their offspring.
Examining The Importance Of DNA Damage Repair For Oocyte Quality, Female Fertility And Offspring Health
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
As women age, the quality of their eggs decline and their chance of having a healthy baby plummets. The accumulation of DNA damage within the egg, and the reduced ability to repair this damage, may be one cause of compromised reproductive success in older women. This project will investigate the ability of eggs to repair DNA damage during maternal aging and will explore the importance of DNA repair to fertility and the transmission of high quality genetic material to their offspring.
I am a reproductive biologist - reproductive immunologist investigating the role of the female immune response and its cellular and molecular agents in establishing pregnancy. My research spans basic science and clinical and commercial transfer, and aims to improve our understanding of the factors determining optimal reproductive health in women leading to better treatments for infertility and pathologies of pregnancy, and the best possible health outcomes for babies and children.
Infertility remains a devastating disease for many couples, despite the success of IVF, as treatment is often unsuccessful, or remains out-of-reach for both health and/or financial reasons. My fellowship aims to improve our understanding of some of the causes of infertility in women. This will translate to a new infertility treatment that is safer for their health and provides for improved long-term health outcomes for their children.
I am a perinatal physiologist who specializes in determining the factors that cause fetal and neonatal brain damage, and in devising treatments to prevent this for application in pregnant women and the neonate.
Oxygen, Oxidative Phosphorylation And Regulation Of Embryo Development.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$141,096.00
Summary
There is concern that human infertility treatment requiring the growth of embryos in the laboratory, as applied in human IVF, may cause problems during fetal development or even possibly lead to health problems much later in life as an adult. In particular, many clinics are now growing human embryos outside the body for several days longer (to select the best embryos for transfer) than what occurred a decade ago. This concern is based on the evidence that the environment in which an embryo grows ....There is concern that human infertility treatment requiring the growth of embryos in the laboratory, as applied in human IVF, may cause problems during fetal development or even possibly lead to health problems much later in life as an adult. In particular, many clinics are now growing human embryos outside the body for several days longer (to select the best embryos for transfer) than what occurred a decade ago. This concern is based on the evidence that the environment in which an embryo grows in has an impact on the way in which some genes are switched on and off. Normal on-off switching at appropriate times during early development should lead to healthy offspring. Failure to turn off or on, or inappropriate timing, may lead to consequences that manifest themselves later in development. We believe that oxygen concentration and the activity of mitochondria, the organelles of cells that converts oxygen into energy, are key regulators in turning on and off genes during early embryo development. This is because we have shown that, in embryos of a species that is metabolically similar to the human embryo, oxygen concentration and mitochondria activity need to change as the embryo grows for optimal development in the laboratory. In other mammalian cells, oxygen and mitochondria activity are known to turn on or off several particular genes, known as transcription factors. Transcription factors are genes which regulate other genes. Therefore, transcription factors are good candidates as regulators of early embryo development. The present project aims to determine if factors such as changing oxygen concentration and mitochondria activity during laboratory growth of embryos affects the way in which these transcription factors turn on and off. If we find this is true, the way in which human embryos are grown in the laboratory needs to be examined carefully to minimize the risk of possible long-term consequences to the resulting fetus.Read moreRead less