Finding out why complications during pregnancy can programme heart problems for life

Cardiovascular dysfunction in the hypoxic fetus: intervention by mitochondria-targeted antioxidants (renewal)

We know that conditions in the womb can trigger alterations in the development of the foetus’s heart and blood vessels. This may set the stage for heart and circulatory problems in the newborn baby, as well as increasing the risk of heart and circulatory disease in later life. However, we do not yet know how this happens and therefore how we can prevent it. It has been difficult to find out, partly because studying heart and blood vessel function in the living foetus has been impossible – until now. Recent molecular discoveries and technological advances mean that skilled researchers can now measure aspects of the heart and circulation in a live foetus before birth. In this project, Professor Giussani’s team in Cambridge will study the foetal heart and circulation inside the womb of a pregnant sheep. The sheep’s pen will be fed by an air supply similar to that at high altitude. This simulates lower oxygen levels in the foetus that can occur in human pregnancies, for example when the mother has pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes or is obese. The team hope to identify the mechanisms that alter heart and blood vessel development in offspring born to higher risk pregnancies. Harnessing the potential of techniques that have not been possible until now, they want to design strategies to prevent short- and long-term heart problems that are programmed in the womb.