Adele Pinnock

Supervisor: Prof Susan Ozanne

Title: Exploring the impact of maternal obesity on offspring renal morphology and later life health.

Abstract:

The prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) has increased dramatically in recent years in parallel with rising incidence of obesity and the metabolic syndrome. It is now well established that our early life environment impacts upon our long-term health, including our risk of cardiometabolic disease. It is known that the kidney is particularly vulnerable to a suboptimal early life environment such as maternal under-nutrition during pregnancy and lactation that negatively impacts upon kidney development leading to poor later life renal outcomes. Considering the growing epidemic of obesity during pregnancy, there is concern as to its potential impact on kidney development. Using a mouse model of maternal diet-induced obesity the aim of the PhD is to explore the impact of maternal over-nutrition on offspring renal morphology and later life health. Characterising the effects of maternal obesity upon the offspring kidney as well as elucidating potential programming mechanisms may help in the prevention of Chronic Kidney Diseases in future generations.

Key posters/publications/talks:

• 2014 IMS student symposium, Cambridge, UK – Poster prize
• 2015 Exercise conference, Cambridge, UK – Poster
• 2016  BSCR/BAS Spring meeting, Manchester, UK – Poster
• 2016 IMS student symposium – Talk prize
• 2016 – Pinnock, A. G. and Ozanne, S. E. 2016. Early Epigenetic Origins of Adult Disease. eLS. 1–7 - Publication
• 2017 Annual BHF Student Meeting, London, UK – Poster
• 2017 IUPS world congress, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Poster