Grant: CIHR New Investigator

Diabetes during pregnancy, known as gestational diabetes, is a major health issue. Gestational diabetes increases the risk of complications in both the mother and the offspring, during pregnancy, delivery, and for many years after. Children born from mother who had diabetes during pregnancy are at increased risk for future obesity and diabetes themselves later in life. The goal of my research program is to better understand the determinants of abnormal glucose regulation during pregnancy and its impact on the health of mothers and children. Common determinants are related to genetic predisposition, excess weight, and lifestyle, but the exact genes, and the contribution of each component are still to be discovered. In addition, fat tissue can produce hormones that are suspected to contribute to abnormal regulation of glucose. So, my research projects aim to investigate the role of genes and hormones leading to diabetes in pregnancy while taking into account lifestyle such as diet and physical activity. Another aspect of my research program is to prevent the impact of diabetes by helping women to adopt healthy lifestyle before or very early in pregnancy. During the intervention, we measure glucose, insulin and other hormones in women, and we collect cord blood in babies at birth. With the cord blood, we can investigate the impact of the intervention on hormones and on biologic regulators of genes in newborns. In summary, my projects will lead to a better understanding of genetic and environmental factors influencing the risk of gestational diabetes and the future risk of obesity and diabetes in offspring. I hope that this knowledge will lead to better ways to prevent and treat obesity and diabetes in future generations.