Dr Melissa Westwood BSc, PhD (Manchester)

Maternal and Fetal Health Research Group Leader,

School of Clinical and Laboratory Sciences,

Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences.

 The major role of the Research Group Leader is to

• set scientific targets to give a long-term perspective to the research of the group
• establish strategic alliances to improve research impact
• promote research communication
• oversee supervision and monitoring od post-doctoral staff with in the group

Society for Endocrinology (also member of the Society's Science Committee)

American Endocrine Society

Institute of Health Sciences Diabetes and Obesity Research Network

The Maternal and Fetal Health Research Group aims to to perform basic scientific and clinical studies of normal and complicated pregnancies in order to improve pregnancy outcome though the translation of research findings into clinical practice.

Adequate placental development and function are essential for a healthy and successful pregnancy as the placenta provides a physical interface that permits the efficient exchange of nutrients and waste products between the mother and the developing baby. Consequently our Group's portfolio of projects on the development and function of the placenta span from the point of pregnancy inception through to late gestation with an emphasis on establishing and refining laboratory models that replicate normal placental behavior.

Pre-eclampsia and intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR) are two of the most commonly encountered obstetric disorders. Pre-eclampsia is a serious multi-system disorder resulting in 70,000 maternal deaths worldwide. While maternal mortality resulting from pre-eclampsia is relatively low, it is estimated that in the UK, 1 in 6 stillbirths occur in pregnancies complicated by pre-eclampsia, and 43% have evidence of IUGR. Currently, there are no effective interventions for pre-eclampsia or IUGR, except for delivery of the infant to preserve maternal or fetal health. This necessary intervention results in increased premature deliveries which is also associated with increased perinatal morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, IUGR is also linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in later life, suggesting that individuals can be ‘programmed’ during fetal life, resulting in life-threatening disease in adulthood.

The exact cause of both pre-eclampsia and IUGR is unknown, although abnormal development and / or function of the placenta have been implicated in both conditions.

My own research group is trying to understand how the placenta normally develops and functions, and in particular, how this is regulated by the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) axis. We are currently studying placental cell (trophoblast) proliferation and survival using modern molecular biology techniques (siRNA) to "knock-down" components of the IGF axis in fragments of human placenta. We are also investigating if IGFs can influence the generation and function of blood vessels in the placenta.

Understanding how factors with the potential for therapeutic manipulation are involved in the control of placental development / function and consequently, fetal growth will be a key step towards improving human health and relieving the burden of chronic disease.
 

Postgraduate Research

I have successfully supervised 5 PhD and MPhil students and am currently supervising 3 further students.

I, and other members of the Research Group, would be pleased to hear from students wishing to study for a higher research degree in the area of pregnancy. For further information on studentships currently available within our Group, please see Posgraduate Opportunities.

Undergraduate Teaching

Through lecture events, tutorials, PBL and project / dissertation supervision, I contribute to many aspects of the BSc and MBChB programmes facilitated by the Faculty of Life Sciences

• Lecturer on
  • BSc 3rd year Unit - Human Reproductive Biology
  • BSc 3rd year Unit - Clinical Endocrinology
  • BSc 2nd year Unit - Endocrinology & Reproduction
• MBChB PBL tutor for Semester 1 - Life Cycle
• Offer laboratory-based projects for 3rd year BSc students
• Offer literature projects (SSC) for 1st year MBChB students
• Offer laboratory-based projects for 4th year MBChB students
• Offer projects for MRes students

I graduated form the University of Manchester with a first class honours degree in Anatomical Sciences in 1991 and began my PhD studies, also at the University of Manchester, with Professor Anne White. My project was supposed to investigate the role of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) axis in diabetic neuropathy but an unexpected finding led me into pregnancy research and this has remained the focus of my reseach ever since. In 1997 I was awarded a prestigious Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship to pursue my PhD findings, which resulted in a number of key studies relating to the control of IGF bioavailability in normal and compromised pregnancies.

I was appointed Lecturer in Endocrinology in the Schools of Medicine and Biological Sciences in 1999 and Senior Lecturer in 2005. My own research group currently consists of 8 postdoctoral research associates, clinical fellows and PhD students funsed mainly through Research Council, charitable and industrial sources. However, I am also Lead for the Maternal and Fetal Helath Research Group, School of Clinical and Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Human & Medical Sciences. This group, which incorporates the Tommy's Research Centre, is made up of over 60 scientists, clinician-scientists, technical and clerical staff, therefore forming the largest pregnancy research group in Europe.

I also serve on the Editorial Board for Trophoblast Research and the Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease and am a member of the Society for Endocrinology's Science Committee.

BSc (Hons) Anatomical Sciences        1st class      University of Manchester      1991

PhD           Medicine                                         University of Manchester      1995

PGCE         Teaching & Learning                          University of Manchester      2006

                in Higher Education

Affiliated staff

• Karen Forbes - Post-doctoral Research Associate. "Dissecting insulin-like growth factor regulation of cell turnover in an integrated cellular system: the human placenta as a model". Funded by a BBSRC grant with Professor John Aplin.
• Alexandra Solomen - Clinical Research Fellow."Placental regulation of insulin-like growth factor bioavailability and fetal growth in type 1 diabetic pregnancy". Funded by a Diabetes UK grant with Professors Martin Gibson, Philip Baker and John Aplin.

• Jayne Fitzsimmons - BBSRC funded PhD Student. "The role of trophoblast derived paracrine signals in the development of blood vessels in the human placenta". Co-supervised with Professor John Aplin
• Jemma Corcoran - Tommy's / MRC funded PhD student. "Interaction betweenthe IGF axis and caveolae: a novel mechanism for co-ordinating cellular function". Co-supervised with Professor Michael Taggart (University of Newcastle)
• Imogen Butcher - Novo Nordisk Uk funded PhD student. "An integrated functional genomics and metabolomics approach for characterising postnatal catch-up growth". Co-supervised with Professor Peter Clayton
• James Newham - Tommy's funded PhD student."Interventions for reducing maternal anxiety during pregnancy". Co-supervised with Professor John Aplin and Dr Anja Wittowski