Children's Health Research Institute

Current Research Activities

Our research activities are focused around the in utero origins of adult insulin resistance and vascular dysfunction. Through the use of cell based and animal model systems we investigate, primarily hypoxia/oxidative/infection stress effects upon placental, and fetal liver, kidney, heart and muscle function. These studies aim to address what reprogramming events these stressors cause in utero and what are the implications of these changes for adult disease. More importantly however is understanding the degree of plasticity of these changes, are they locked or are there windows of opportunity for us to intervene and rescue some of these unfavorable in utero-induced changes.

Research Team

Jeni Thompson (Ph.D. candidate) and David Kao (M.Sc.candidate) are the two graduate trainees in the laboratory. Jeni works on the in utero development of vascular dysfunction as it relates to hypertension in later life, while David’s work deals with investigating how insults in utero impact upon muscle nutrient transport and metabolism and its ultimate effect upon insulin sensitivity.  The diseases of vascular dysfunction and insulin resistance are the two most important precursors for the development of metabolic syndrome in later life.

Together with Dr. de Vrijer (Maternal Fetal Medicine consultant) we also study modulators of preterm rupture of membranes during pregnancy, with a special interest in the effects obesity plays in this and its regulation of fetomembrane nutrient transport and utilization. With Dr. Andreana Bütter (Pediatric cardiologist), we are also undertaking studies investigating the molecular origins and possible interventions of dysfunction lungs following congenital diaphragmatic hernia in utero.

With Drs. Lee (Robarts imaging) and Staples (Biology) we continue our insulin sensitivity work in IUGR offspring, specifically addressing in utero induced alterations in muscle insulin sensitivity with PET and associated body composition changes with CT and mitochondrial function studies.

Dr. Lin Zhao is our senior research technician and together we supervise a number of Residents, Medical and undergraduate student research projects. Recently these projects have included investigations of low protein inductions of hypertension in growth retarded fetuses, effects of infection upon human fetal blood and amnion and the effect of placental insufficiency upon fetal hepatic antioxidative capacity.

Future Research Plans

We will continue to address the above studies, while at the same time embarking on some new exciting investigations. Recently Katie Belgrave has joined our group as a M.Sc. candidate and will be focusing her efforts upon adverse in utero environment modulation of fetal and adult muscle mitochondrial activity and how these changes are modulated in situations of high fat/carbohydrate diets. Additionally, we will expand our pilot studies investigating the role that hypoxia during development may have upon cardiac remodeling, diastolic dysfunction, and increased sensitivity to ischemic injury in adult life.