Maternal malnutrition (under- and overnutrition) and suboptimal metabolic status can induce changes in the metabolic, hormonal and immune systems in the body. If these changes target intrauterine tissues (the placenta and fetal membranes), they may hinder the ability of these tissues to protect against microbes commonly associated with the onset of preterm labour and other adverse pregnancy outcomes. These changes may also alter the transport of nutrients and other molecules to the fetus that are critical for its development. We are investigating how maternal malnutrition and metabolic and pro-inflammatory states influence placental defence and transport. These studies are part of our larger goals to understand how early life environments influence risk for preterm birth and suboptimal feto-placental development, and to develop nutrition-focused and microbe-targeting interventions to prevent these adverse outcomes and improve maternal-child health.

Gut bacteria have been linked to human health and disease states including obesity and diabetes, and can shape our response to the foods we eat or the medications we consume. We are investigating how common adverse conditions before and during pregnancy (maternal malnutrition, underweight and obesity, and infection) impact the integrity of the maternal and offspring intestinal barriers and the composition and function of their gut microbiomes, and how these conditions may impair the maternal-fetal interface. We are also testing novel microbe-based and microbiome-targeted interventions to improve pregnancy health and fetoplacental development. These studies are part of our larger goal to understand how the gut plays a role in coordinating exogenous signals from our environment (nutrition), and endogenous signals in our bodies (pro-inflammatory and metabolic factors), to influence maternal health and increase vulnerability to poor growth and metabolic diseases in offspring.

Disruptions in fundamental developmental processes, such as cell growth and proliferation, can result from inadequate nutrient supply, leading to congenital anomalies. Neural tube defects (NTDs), such as fetal spina bifida, remain amongst the most common congenital anomalies. Specific nutrients, including B vitamins, play a critical role in the formation of the neural tube and are also essential for the high rates of DNA synthesis and cell proliferation that accompany periods of rapid fetoplacental growth and development. A key contributor to healthy nutrient levels is the gut microbiome. A healthy microbiome also supports nutrient absorption and produces other molecules that may influence placental function and nutrient delivery to the fetus. We are investigating the role of the maternal gut microbiome in the development of fetal spina bifida and its comorbidities, including poor placental development and function. These studies are part of our larger goals to understand how inadequate supply, uptake, transport and/or metabolism of key nutrients from the mother to the developing embryo/fetus may contribute to the pathogenesis of NTDs and increase risk of placental maldevelopment and dysfunction, fetal growth restriction, and preterm birth.

Globally, mineral and micronutrient deficiencies are common in children and in women in their reproductive years, including during pregnancy. Inadequate nutrition is predictive of suboptimal lifelong health and profoundly influences development and health trajectories in the next generation. Given the intergenerational cycle of nutrient deficiencies, there is a window of opportunity to replenish minerals and micronutrients to prevent suboptimal health and adverse pregnancy and developmental outcomes. However, we are still falling short in our efforts to prevent hidden hunger and improve the nutritional status of women and children, thus new strategies are urgently needed. We are testing novel interventions to improve mineral and micronutrient status in women. These studies are part of our larger goals to improve maternal-child nutrition and our understanding of the mechanisms that contribute to nutrient transport, absorption and metabolism.

We are also evaluating programmes that aim to improve nutrition knowledge and reduce iron deficiency and anaemia (ID/IDA) in women, and are engaging with stakeholders from communities through to national governments and NGOs to better understand the people, health systems, and environments that influence hidden hunger and its treatment. These efforts are part of our goal to co-design frameworks for improved treatment and prevention of ID and IDA across the lifecycle.

Although the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) recognises the importance of early exposures in the development of chronic conditions, our ability to harness this knowledge before irreversible processes affect health trajectories remains limited. Using machine learning approaches we are making a comprehensive catalogue of early influential risk and protective factors across social, environmental and biomedical fields, and developing a model for precise and personalised lifecycle health information. These studies are part of our larger goal to instrumentalise our understanding of DOHaD and develop a tool to identify resilience and risk trajectories to optimise health decision making and interventions.

It is well known that there are major health gaps between men and women, largely driven by a lack of knowledge into the biology of women’s health and disease, and other social, environmental, and systemic factors that differentially affect genders and influence health outcomes. Critically, these health gaps also affect future generations. We believe closing the gap in funding for women’s health and health research will improve health outcomes for women and their children, and likely provide the best return on investment for governments seeking to make an impact in preventing, diagnosing and treating health conditions. We are capturing data on health funding, interventions, and outcomes, to better understand health gaps and opportunities to close these. This work is part of our larger advocacy efforts for improving women’s and lifecycle health, and is done in collaboration with Dr. Tim Regnault at Western University.

Rates of HIV transmission from mother to child are decreasing. Whether there is a lasting impact of maternal HIV infection on the development of the HIV negative infant remains to be explored. Further, little is known about the impact of pre- and postnatal nutritional environments on the growth, development and health of the HIV exposed but uninfected infant. We are investigating nutritional environments and infant growth in the context of HIV. Our work includes engaging with stakeholders to better understand the environments that shape health outcomes in mothers and infants affected by HIV, and studies investigating how maternal HIV infection alters the composition of nutrients, immune molecules and bioactive metabolites in breast milk, and if maternal HIV status, breastfeeding practices, and factors present in breast milk are associated with infant growth and health. These studies are part of our larger goal to improve the lifelong immune and metabolic function in HIV exposed infants.

Aleyna’s research revolves around developing a holistic health prediction tool to assist health professionals in identifying early life health trajectories for earlier and more targeted interventions. This includes investigating environmental, biological and social determinants of health. She is currently exploring the attitudes and behaviours of health care providers towards such a prediction tool.

Recent grad!

Ayshia’s research focuses on women’s health funding and its implications for health outcomes. She aims to synthesise clear data on women’s health funding, interventions, and health outcomes to use in advocacy efforts for policy influencers and other stakeholders. Ultimately, these efforts aim to improve investments in perinatal health research and the health of women and children across the lifecycle.

Clara’s background includes genomics-based research and data science. Her research aims to understand how the adverse effects of micronutrient deficiencies can be prevented in women of reproductive age. Specifically, she is investigating the effectiveness of a sustainable micronutrient intervention for the treatment of mineral deficiencies.

Hailey’s background is in pregnancy complications and placental development, with a particular focus on preterm birth and maternal underweight and obesity. Her research aims to understand placental maldevelopment and dysfunction in response to adverse early life environments. She is also interested in understanding the impact of early interventions to improve maternal, pregnancy and child health. She plays a key role in research coordination and direction in the lab.

Hasan’s research focuses on how different environmental, metabolic, and health factors, such as obesity and infection, can affect the fetal environment, leading to adverse outcomes for the mother and offspring. He is specifically interested in the analysis of placental samples that may have been impacted by such factors, using various imaging tools and analyses.

Recent grad!

Hauna’s background is in health sciences and bioinformatics. Her research focuses on the role of the gut microbiome and novel interventions in the health of reproductive aged and pregnant women and their infants. She is particularly interested in how the maternal gut microbiome and metabolome are altered in complex pregnancies. She is also exploring how a micronutrient intervention may alter the gut microbiome and metabolome in reproductive aged women.

Jayden is focused on studying the complex gene-nutrient interactions in pregnancies where a fetus has a neural tube defect. He is specifically interested in how external supplementation and diet interacts with genetic factors to effect nutrient transport and fetal development.

Recent grad!

Jessie’s research investigates how early nutritional exposures impact markers of long-term health and chronic disease risk. Her graduate training examined the relationships between early exposure to omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and markers of inflammation in both human and animal models. Currently, she is interested in better understanding the role of nutrition in early life by addressing nutritional deficiencies in reproductive age women.

Lucas’ interest is to study the effects of maternal nutrition on fetal development and how changes in the intrauterine environment affect adult health. His research attempts to understand the changes that malnutrition, associated with an episode of infection, can cause during pregnancy, focusing on relationships between the maternal/offspring guts, placenta, and fetal development.

Marina’s research investigates how maternal health and the placenta influence fetal and infant development, with a focus on pregnancies complicated by maternal HIV infection or fetal congenital anomalies. Specifically, she is interested in understanding how the early nutritional environment and alterations in placental phenotype in these pregnancies may affect growth and neurodevelopmental trajectories.

Recent grad!

Melissa’s research focuses on how maternal metabolites influence fetal growth and development, particularly the developing brain. She is specifically interested in the placenta-fetal brain axis and which influential metabolites and pathways may contribute to altered developmental trajectories, including of the developing brain. She also aspires to connect her research to testing future therapeutics that can optimise maternal health and prevent adverse health trajectories in offspring.

Miguel's research investigates, develops, and tests automatic and semi-automatic knowledge graph text models based on medical research. He aims to create virtual assistants for use in neonatal and paediatric clinics, where relevant information can be accessed by and shared with medical professionals and other stakeholders. These assistants can help to establish communication channels and disseminate information amongst various stakeholders, ultimately for more informed and shared health decision-making. Miguel is undertaking his PhD in Engineering through Universidad Nacional del Sur, Argentina, and is co-supervised by Dr. Kristin Connor and Dr. Claudio Delrieux from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Universidad Nacional del Sur.

Olivia’s background is interdisciplinary health science, including social and early life determinants of health. As a Zimbabwean with interest and expertise in global health, Olivia’s research aims to understand the individual, community, and external factors that influence success of community-based interventions for the prevention and treatment of iron deficiency in West Africa. Ultimately, her goal is to inform intervention design and provide evidence for adapting and scaling interventions that tackle hidden hunger to suit local and population needs.

Romika’s research focuses on determining and analysing relationships between preconception, prenatal, and postpartum health funding and maternal health outcomes. She is particularly interested in public health and preventive medicine, aiming to contribute valuable insights that can improve interventions for women’s health and ensure better health outcomes.

Sadra’s research investigates the impact of maternal obesity and episodes of viral infection on pregnancy and offspring development. He is particularly interested in changes at the maternal-fetal interface and placental pathways involved in poor pregnancy outcomes. He is also an aspiring pharmaceutical researcher, specifically in the field of drug development for diseases related to prions.

Thaina’s research focuses on how maternal obesity and episodes of viral infection during pregnancy may create an opportunity for poor pregnancy health and offspring development via changes at the maternal-fetal interface. She is particularly interested in placental genes/pathways associated with nutrient transport and inflammatory response and fetal/offspring growth and postnatal inflammatory phenotype. She is also investigating whether a microbe-based intervention to the mother during critical windows of fetoplacental development may correct poor gestational tissue development and function and optimise fetal growth.