Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

After birth, the hardworking newborn heart needs an efficient power plant to satisfy its energy needs. If the proper components are unavailable to produce energy, the heart may develop improperly and impart a vulnerability to health complications in later life. Within the powerhouse of the cell - the mitochondria - iron is essential for energy production. Pregnant women have a high risk of developing iron deficiency (ID). The heart has high energy needs to support both growth and blood pumping, making it particularly vulnerable to negative changes caused by ID. We found that male, but not female, newborn hearts adapt to perinatal ID by producing more mitochondria to compensate for reduced efficiency. This research will be important in identifying targets for new treatments in pregnancy that reduce or prevent chronic disease susceptibility due to ID and illuminating sex differences in disease development and progression.