Targeting microvascular dysfunction to prevent hypertension in mother and offspring following preeclampsia

A pregnancy complicated by preeclampsia identifies both a mother and child predisposed to develop cardiovascular risk factors and diseases such as hypertension, stroke and myocardial infarction (Davis et al Pediatrics 2012, BMJ Open 2015). Therefore, characterisation of biological pathways common to both preeclampsia and cardiovascular disease offer the opportunity to develop novel insights into both conditions and lead to development of new preventive interventions.

Over the last few years our group has identified specific changes in vascular biology in the offspring of pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia (Lazdam et al Hypertension 2010, Lewandowski et al Hypertension 2015, Yu et al Hypertension 2016) and that certain subgroups of mothers and children, namely those born to early-onset disease, have unique differences in their disease process both during pregnancy and throughout later life (Lazdam et al Hypertension 2012).

This project will use a tissue bioresource of umbilical-derived primary vascular cells with linked clinical physiological and medical record data to identify ways to restore vascular function in the offspring and thereby prevent later disease. In particular, the project will study recently established differences in cellular phenotype and how these can be modified by a range of interventions.