Project R-8253

Fetal microchimerism and maternal health: a molecular epidemiological approach (Research)

Epidemiology is the study of the patterns, causes and effects of health and disease conditions in defined populations. An advantage of epidemiologic research is that it looks at people in their 'natural' environment, and looks to explain the differences between people within a population. When women are pregnant, cells from her unborn child enter the maternal bloodstream, and remain present in her body for decades after delivery. There is a huge variety in levels of fetal cells present in mothers. I aim to assess this variability within the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort. This cohort consists currently of 1200 mother-newborn pairs and enrollment is still ongoing. Structured follow-up measures of cardiovascular phenotypes in both mothers and children at age 4 of the child have begun (183 participants so far). I will unravel the differences in fetal cells in mothers and determine whether these fetal cells are linked with maternal stress indicators. For this purpose, I analyze stress at the physiologic level (molecular markers) and at the psychological level (questionnaires). If FMC is indeed associated with lower maternal stress levels, this could influence her ability to age well, and aid in the prevention of age-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease. I will study the decline of presence of fetal cells in the mothers over time, and investigate whether this is associated with cardiovascular phenotypes of both the micro- and macrocirculation

01 October 2017 - 30 September 2020