Pregnancy & the unborn child
The project database currently holds 37 relevant grants.
- Brain development and thyroid hormone levels
- Brain Imaging in Unborn Babies
- Using novel methods to obtain and process images from fetal brain MRI scans to study brain development in the unborn baby, and improve understanding and diagnosis of brain abnormalities prior to birth and following preterm delivery.
- Computer technology to find genes that cause malformations
- The development of an Internet based tool to help identify genes involved in causing birth defects
- Ectodermal dysplasias affecting the skin, hair, teeth and nails
- Searching for the gene abnormalities which lead to poor development of these tissues.
- Genetics of oral-facial-digital syndromes and kidney disease
- Investigating the function of the gene responsible for this potentially life-threatening disorder, improving our understanding of the condition.
- Labour - investigating its mechanisms
- Understanding more about the mechanisms involved in labour which may reduce the need for caesarean section.
- Labour difficulties — reducing the risks for babies
- Mitochondrial DNA diseases
- Investigating a new technique to test a woman’s egg cells before she becomes pregnant and which may predict the risk of her children inheriting particular DNA that may cause a variety of different diseases.
- Neurofibromatosis type 1
- Investigating the function of the gene affected in this relatively common genetic disease which causes significant abnormalities including learning difficulties, tumours of the central nervous system and skeletal deformities in children.
- Pre-eclampsia - mechanisms of inflammation
- Finding out more about the causes of pre-eclampsia with the aim of improving the prediction, diagnosis and treatment of this serious condition.
- Pre-eclampsia - signalling inflammation
- Studying inflammatory mechanisms that play a role in pre-eclampsia with the aim of improving the prediction, diagnosis and treatment.
- Pre-eclampsia - the role of oxygen
- Finding out more about the causes of pre-eclampsia with the aim of improving treatment and helping to reduce the number of pre-term births.
- Pre-natal diagnosis - a safer method
- Developing a test for the diagnosis of genetic problems in the foetus, which avoids the risk of miscarriage.
- Pregnancy complications
- Investigating the causes of problems of pregnancy (such as pre-eclampsia, fetal growth restriction and early pregnancy failure) which can have serious consequences for the baby and mother.
- Pregnancy complications linked to thyroid disorders
- Looking at transport of thyroid hormones across the placenta to the developing baby, with a view to treating problems caused by thyroid disorders during pregnancy.
- Pregnancy in teenagers - growth and nutrition
- Investigating how the growth of the mother and poor diet in teenage pregnancy may influence the development of the placenta and contribute to restricted growth of the baby.
- Premature birth
- Exploring the mechanisms that control muscular contractions of the uterus which may lead to new treatments to prevent premature labour.
- Premature birth
- Studying the mechanisms that control muscular contractions of the uterus which may lead to the development of new treatments for premature labour.
- Premature birth - identifying new ways to prevent it
- Premature birth - preventing premature labour
- Investigating the pathways involved in the maintenance of labour which may lead to the development of more effective drugs to prevent premature birth.
- Premature birth — the role of infection and inflammation
- Premature labour
- The aim of this research is to study factors that can trigger muscle contractions of the uterus before a baby is ready to be born. In the long term, this work may lead to the development of new, effective drugs to prevent premature labour.
- Premature labour
- Studying the mechanisms that control muscular contractions of the uterus which may lead to the development of new treatments for premature labour.
- Premature labour
- Examining the effects of ‘oxygen by-products’ on the function of the uterus which should improve our understanding of pre-term and full-term labour.
- Premature labour - investigating a possible cause
- Studying the effects of the hormone progesterone, which may help in the prevention of pre-term labour.
- Premature labour — how does it start?
- Investigating the role of the hormone progesterone in controlling labour which may improve the treatment of premature labour
- Premature labour — is it a response to infection?
- Premature labour — mechanisms controlling contractions
- Investigating the control of contractions by the hormone oxytocin which may lead to improved treatments for premature labour
- Preterm labour
- Investigating how an inappropriate, exaggerated inflammatory reaction to trivial infection may trigger premature labour.
- Preterm labour - preventing the onset
- Researching ways to predict and prevent early labour, in order to reduce the risk of disability or death to the baby.
- Preterm labour and links to infection
- Studying the effects of a particular bacterium on the membranes surrounding the unborn baby and its involvement in premature labour.
- Preterm labour — possible drug treatments
- Preterm labour — the role of phospholipase Cdelta
- Examining the role of a particular protein called phosphoslipase Cdelta in pregnancy and labour. The findings may provide potential new targets for the treatment of premature labour.
- Sleep Apnoea in Pregnancy
- Investigating the prevalence of sleep apnoea in pregnant women and whether this can affect the growth of the unborn baby
- Spinal development
- Aiming to identify the genetic causes of abnormal spinal development.
- Stillbirth and obstetric cholestasis
- Studying the proteins that control the levels of bile acids in the blood to understand more about the causes of obstetric cholestasis, a serious liver disease of pregnancy.
- Stillbirth and obstetric cholestasis — fetal heart problems
- Researching how the actions of bile acids in mothers with obstetric cholestasis could cause heart problems and stillbirth in the unborn baby, and investigating preventative measures.
