Did you know the risk of developing heart disease is determined not only by our genes but also by the state of the intrauterine environment that we experience before birth? Fetal hypoxia is a common pregnancy complication and is responsible for programming cardiac and endothelial dysfunction in offspring in later life. The mechanisms by which this happens remain elusive, preventing the identification of potential therapy.
New research carried out by Professor Dino Giussani has led to the hypothesis that oxidative stress in the fetal heart and vasculature underlies how prenatal hypoxia programmes cardiac dysfunction in later life. In this talk, Professor Giussani will detail the physiology underlying this hypothesis, what he has discovered, and how these can be applied to modify the risk of heart disease not only in our children but also in further generations.
About the GL Brown Prize Lecture
The Physiological Society annually awards the GL Brown Prize Lecture to a speaker to showcase their impact and a successful career in physiology. The 2020 awardee, Dino Giussani, is Professor of Developmental Cardiovascular Physiology & Medicine, Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge.
This talk is open to anyone interested in physiological and life sciences, for more information, please visit our Eventbrite page.