Research: Developmental biology

About our research

The developmental trajectories of a foetus or offspring are highly influenced by early environment and key developmental stages alterations. These changes can lead to long-term detrimental outcomes and adult diseases.

A major area of our research is understanding the mechanistic pathways important in early development, and the mechanisms of the various insults that can lead to disease.

Environmental and epigenetic programming

Epigenetics involves multiple processes such as DNA methylation, chromatin modifications, and noncoding RNAs to regulate gene expression. Epigenetic mechanisms are both important in brain developmental processes and age-related neurodegenerative diseases.

We look at the role of epigenetics in programming responses to early-life environments such as stress and diet. We study human cohorts and use animal models to investigate the epigenetic regulation of stress and immune-related factors following prenatal and postnatal environments.

tissue engineering

We work in musculoskeletal tissue engineering and in vitro cardiovascular substitutes using mechanical and perfusion bioreactors.

We characterise and develop biomaterials using:

• mathematical models

• X-ray microtomography of soft tissues

• mesenchymal stem cells