About the project
This PhD studentship will explore the metabolomic, genomic and transcriptomic influences on nutritional tolerance, metabolic adaptation and growth in very preterm infants (born <32 weeks gestation). This work will enable better understanding of the factors affecting metabolic maturation, allowing personalised nutritional support and in turn improved growth and outcomes
Infants born very preterm are at risk of significant morbidities. Poor growth in these infants has been associated with adverse neurodevelopment, and increased risk of non-communicable disease in adulthood, such as cardiovascular disease. Achieving adequate nutrient intakes in this group is challenging due to issues with metabolic tolerance of nutrients, including glucose and lipid. Currently, little is known about how a preterm infant’s metabolic system transitions from in-utero to ex-utero following preterm birth. Understanding this process better may illuminate targets for personalised nutritional interventions to support healthy metabolic maturation, optimal growth and outcomes.
The PhD student will join the neonatal nutrition research team as part of the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, which has an established track record in neonatal nutrition and metabolism research, and who have published widely in the field and contributed to UK and European guidance. The studentship will utilise over 300 existing urine and blood samples collected longitudinally on over 30 infants and build on this sample set, collecting serial samples for metabolomic, genomic and transcriptomic analysis from a further 50 infants.
This project will involve analysing these samples using complex regression modelling/ machine learning to address the following research questions:
- How does the metabolome change over time as infants mature, and how does this impact on nutritional tolerance, growth, and clinical outcomes?
- How does gene expression and transcription change following preterm birth, and how does this influence their metabolome, nutritional tolerance/resilience, and growth?
- What are the genomic factors that influence metabolic tolerance?
