Abstract
Furness, Denise PhD
Post-Doctoral Fellow, Placental Development Laboratory, The University of Adelaide
Doctor of Philosophy completed 2007 - CSIRO Human Nutrition and University of Adelaide
The causes of common pregnancy complications: predicting in order to prevent
Pregnancy complications affect approximately 1 in 5 human pregnancies. These complications include preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and pre-term birth. Current treatments for pregnancy complications simply treat the symptoms but not the cause, and therefore cannot predict, prevent or cure these diseases. The cost of hospitalising mothers and babies with pregnancy complications is enormous. So too are the emotional and economic costs to the family.
The human genome contains all of the genes, encoded by DNA, needed to build and maintain a living organism. Genome health is essential for placental and fetal development, as DNA damage can lead to pregnancy loss and developmental defects in the baby. During pregnancy there is rapid DNA replication as the placenta and baby develop and this provides an increased opportunity for genome damage to occur. Specifically, defects in B-vitamin metabolism (including folate which is vitamin B9) have been associated with increased DNA damage.
The results of our studies indicate that genome damage in mid pregnancy is associated with late pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia and IUGR. Changes in key genes associated with DNA damage and folate metabolism may predict which women are at risk of developing complications in late pregnancy.
This work will pave the way for developing therapeutics and lifestyle interventions that could be utilised either before a women becomes pregnant or in early pregnancy, to ameliorate or prevent late pregnancy diseases. The ultimate potential result would be improved health outcomes for both mother and baby in both the short and long term.