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Research project

Hanson RG/15/17/31749 Epigenetic Biomarkers and Determinants of Cardiovascular Risk in Children

Project overview

This application aims to determine: early biomarkers of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk at birth/during childhood; the window(s) when early life interventions to reduce the risk of obesity and CVD are most effective; and the nature of potentially effective intervention(s). In the Southampton Women's Survey (SWS) prospective preconception cohort, we have discovered perinatal epigenetic biomarkers of later CVD risk in mechanistically relevant genes, now confirmed in our other cohorts. We will determine how these biomarkers relate to the trajectory of adiposity, cardiovascular structure, function and fitness in SWS children to age 12yrs. Using SWS samples collected at birth and age 12yrs we will extend our panel of epigenetic biomarkers and investigate interactions with fixed genetic variants in relation to CVD risk. Then we will relate the resulting biomarker panel to CVD risk in children from ongoing cohorts in which pre- or post-natal interventions to modify risk factors are being made.

Staff

Lead researchers

Emeritus Professor Mark Hanson

Research interests
  • Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD)
  • Maternal and Child Health
  • Developmental nutrition and epigenetic mechanisms
Connect with Mark

Email: M.Hanson@soton.ac.uk

Other researchers

Professor Cyrus Cooper

Prof Rheumatology Clinical Epidemiology
Research interests
  • Key research contributions have been:
  • discovery of the developmental influences which contribute to the risk of osteoporosis and hi…
  • demonstration that maternal vitamin D insufficiency is associated with sub-optimal bone miner…
Connect with Cyrus

Email: cc@mrc.soton.ac.uk

Professor Keith Godfrey

Associate Dean – KEE
Connect with Keith

Email: kmg@mrc.soton.ac.uk

Emeritus Professor Hazel Inskip MSc, PhD, FFPH

Connect with Hazel

Email: hmi@mrc.soton.ac.uk

Collaborating research institutes, centres and groups

Research outputs

Greater access to healthy food outlets in the home and school environment is associated with better dietary quality in young children
Millie Barrett, Sarah Crozier, Daniel Lewis, Keith Godfrey, Sian Robinson, Cyrus Cooper, Hazel Inskip, Janis Baird & Christina Vogel, 2017, Public Health Nutrition, 20(18), 3316-3325
DOI: 10.1017/S1368980017002075
Type: article
The relationship between maternal 25-hydroxyvitamin D status in pregnancy and childhood adiposity and allergy: an observational study
V.T. Boyle, E.B. Thorstensen, J.M.D. Thompson, E.A. Mitchell, Keith Godfrey, L. Poston, C.R. Wall, R. Murphy, Wayne Cutfield, T. Kenealy, L.C. Kenny & Philip N. Baker, 2017, International Journal of Obesity, 41, 1755–1760
DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2017.182
Type: article
Sleep and dietary patterns in pregnancy
Linda van Lee, Airu Chia, See Ling Loy, Marjorelee T. Colega, Elaine K.H. Tham, Shirong Cai, Fabian Yap, Keith Godfrey, Oon Hoe Teoh, Daniel Y.T. Goh, Kok Hian Tan, Yap-Seng Chong, Birit Broekman & Mary F.F. Chong, 2017, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph14111409
Type: article
Body composition measurement in young children using quantitative magnetic resonance
Ling-Wei Chen, Tint Mya, Marielle Fortier, Izzuddin M. Aris, Lynette Pei-Chi Shek , Kok Hian Tan, Victor Samuel Rajadurai, Peter D. Gluckman, Yap-Seng Chong, Keith M. Godfrey, Michael S. Kramer, Jeya K Henry, Fabian Yap & Yung Seng Lee, 2017, Pediatric Obesity
DOI: 10.1111/ijpo.12250
Type: article
Which anthropometric measures best reflect neonatal adiposity?
Ling-Wei Chen, Tint Mya, Marielle Fortier, Izzuddin M. Aris, Lynette Pei-Chi Shek , Kok Hian Tan, Shiao-Yng Chan, Peter D. Gluckman, Yap-Seng Chong, Keith Godfrey, Victor Samuel Rajadurai, Fabian Yap, Michael S. Kramer & Yung Seng Lee, 2017, International Journal of Obesity, 42, 501-506
DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2017.250
Type: article
The biosocial genome? Interdisciplinary perspectives on environmental epigenetics, health and society
Ruth Muller, Clare Hanson, Mark Hanson, Michael Penkler, Georgia Samaras, Luca Chiapperino, John Dupre, Martha Kenney, Christopher W. Kuzawa, Joanna Latimer, Stephanie Lloyd, Astrid Lunkes, Molly Macdonald, Maurizio Meloni, Brigitte Nerlich, Francesco Panese, Martyn Pickersgill, Sarah Richardson, Joelle Ruegg, Aleksandra Stelmach & Paula-Irene Villa, 2017, EMBO reports, 18(10), 1677-1682
DOI: 10.15252/embr.201744953
Type: article
Maternal hyperglycemia in singleton pregnancies conceived by in vitro fertilization may be modified by first-trimester body mass index
S. Cai, P. Natarajan, J.K.Y. Chan, P.C. Wong, K.H. Tan, K.M. Godfrey, P.D. Gluckman, L.P.C. Shek, F. Yap, M.S. Kramer, S.Y. Chan & Y.S. Chong, 2017, Human Reproduction, 32(9), 1941-1947
DOI: 10.1093/humrep/dex243
Type: article