Grant: CIHR Fellowship

The prenatal environment within which the baby grows and develops can alter fetal growth patterns. When the environment is favourable the risk of poor neonatal outcomes decreases. Conversely, the harmful effect of a suboptimal intrauterine environment can impact the way the placenta transports nutrients and thus alters how the baby responds to excessive nutrients and growth factors. In pregnancy complicated by obesity and gestational diabetes (GDM) the baby is presented with excess sugar and fat from mom's circulation. This can cause neonatal insulin resistance (something typically seen in older adults), increases fat tissue and leads to a greater proportion babies who weigh more than the >90th percentile. This is problematic as children born "large" are more likely to continue to track their excess weight through adolescence and into adulthood. It is here where obesity-associated health risks are common. As such, the intergenerational cycle of obesity is an important public health concern given the social, mental, economic and physiological problems associated with obesity. Yet, the mechanisms underlying these associations remain to be established and researching these unknowns may help inform prenatal care and health service delivery throughout the life-course. The proposed project does just that; it is an examination of specific proteins at the maternal-placental-fetal axis that are vital regulators of in utero growth. In this project we are attempting to understand why mothers with obesity and GDM give birth to larger babies so we can improve the health of mom and baby.