Fetal programming

The fetal origins of health and diseases in adult life requires a detailed analysis of metabolic and inflammatory scenarios during intrauterine life, likely to determine adverse perinatal outcomes. The group will develop an observational study in obese and diabetic pregnant women (as metabolic model of deleterious fetal programming model) and a trial (randomised controlled) study in case of preterm delivery menace (as inflammatory/infectious model).

Gender dimension

The group reinforces its commitment with women's reproductive rights and fight against any form of violence against women through a challenging project called "INLOVE Study", which will design a specific test (questionnaire/scale of measure) to assess the practices and procedures used during induced parts from different viewpoints: women, health professionals and students of medicine.

Gender perspective

The team considers as curcial to assess women's voices, preferences, options, complaints and demands in any gynecological procedures: design of questionnaires or validation of those previously published in cases of cancer, pelvic floor diseases, others.

Epigenetics and endocrine disruptors

Exposure to multiple endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC) is an environmental insult that interferes with the development and function of the endocrine system, governed by the hypothalamus-pituitary (HP) axis. This interaction is specially concerning in developmental stages of life, such as the perinatal period and puberty. The project HYPIEND aims to understand the effects of EDC co-exposure in the function and epigenetic programming of the HP axis to delineate interventional strategies for minimising exposure and consequences on the neuroendocrine systemduring the perinatal and pre-pubertal stages.

Breastfeeding action

The group’s collaboration with the Department of Chemistry; Faculty of Experimental Sciences, University of Huelva will continue to determine novel bioactive components in human milk, potentially involved in digestive and neurodevelopment. On the other hand, the team will bring together their database of breast cancer survivors and the experience in breastfeeding counselling in a new study (LMCM-21).

Caracterización de Escenarios de Programación Metabólica Adversa: Papel de la Metainflamación Materna en el Imprinting Metabólico Fetal

PIs: Berta Soldevila & Inés Velasco
Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)
Agency code: PI22/01350
Duration: 01/01/2023 - 31/12/2025

Fetal metabolic programming is the adaptive response of the fetus to the circumstances (genetic, nutritional, environmental) that it encounters in the mother and/or in the placenta, and which have consequences for the rest of the individual's life. From pregnant women with an altered metabolic profile, we will analyse those parameters (clinical and biochemical) linked to complications in the offspring. Objectives: To identify pathological routes of metabolic imprinting in early stages of fetal development, from intrauterine environments of metainflammation and metabolic dysregulation, such as maternal obesity and pregestational diabetes.

HYPIEND: Understanding and preventing the impact of endocrine disruptors on the hypothalamus-pituitary axis in sensitive populations

PI: Biotza Gutiérrez Arechederra (EURECAT); PIs at IGTP: Paula Sol Ventura, Inés Velasco López 
Funding agency: HORIZON-HLTH-2023-ENVHLTH-02
Agency code: 101137440
Duration: 01/01/2024 - 31/12/2028

Rol de la autoinmunidad tiroidea en escenarios de programación metabólica adversa. Estudio TODAY (Thyroid-Obesity-Diabetes Adequate Yield)

PI: Inés Velasco
Funding agency: Fundación Merck Salud
Duration: 01/01/2023 – 31/12/2025

Thyroid autoimmunity (AIT) is present in about 5-15% of women of childbearing age. Obesity aggravates the pathogenic effect of AIT, increasing the risk of hypothyroidism and, conversely, the presence of anti-thyroid antibodies determines the activity of adipose tissue. Similarly, positivity for antithyroid antibodies is more frequent in type I diabetes and, probably, in gestational diabetes. This project aims to elucidate the role of AIT during pregnancy, especially in adverse situations of fetal programming (proinflammatory environment, insulin resistance), and its involvement in the epigenetic regulation and metabolic profile of newborns.

Involvement of maternal thyroid function in foetal metabolic programming

PI: Manel Puig & Inés Velasco
Funding agency: ISCIII
Agency code: PI18/01857
Duration: 01/01/2018 - 30/06/2023

Thyroid hormones intervene in key processes of intrauterine growth and development, as well as in processes of metabolic regulation in adults. However, the role of maternal thyroid hormones as an epigenetic modulator of fetal metabolic programming has not been elucidated. Objectives: To analyze the implication of maternal and neonatal thyroid function in different metabolic programming scenarios, as well as the identification of early detection markers of energy expenditure and epigenetic interest.