We aim to improve women's and children's health by understanding disease mechanisms in pregnancy, delivering clinical trials in women and neonates, and helping to shape policy change. To achieve this aim, we study three key areas:Maternal health and disease in pregnancyPerinatal determinants of child healthDevelopmental programming of life course health Maternal health and disease in pregnancy Researchers, focuses and related projects Our researchers Principal investigators: James Boardman, Sarah Murray, Caroline Ovadia, Rebecca Reynolds, Rosie TownsendClinical lecturer: Kahyee HorBoardman research groupEdinburgh Pregnancy Research TeamOvadia research group Research focuses Discover the impacts of disease in pregnancy on future healthDissect mechanisms of disease in pregnancy, including interactions with fetal developmentUse of digital technology to advance pregnancy careGlobal women's health: supporting healthy pregnancies around the worldTest interventions to improve pregnancy outcomes in clinical trials Edinburgh Pregnancy Research Team The Edinburgh Pregnancy Research Team are a group of health/science professionals, working across the University of Edinburgh and NHS Lothian. We are committed to promoting and supporting perinatal research to enhance pregnancy outcomes and improve the experiences of pregnant women and their families. Perinatal determinants of child health Researchers, focuses and related projects Research focuses Understand how the maternal environment shapes child development, focusing on maternal stress, intrahepatic cholestasis, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders of pregnancy, air pollution, steatotic liver disease, fetal growth restriction and intrauterine inflammationDetermine the biological axes that link preterm birth with atypical brain development and cardiometabolic health, and understand what makes some babies resilient to being born too soonUnderstand the basis of sex differences in the immune response to preterm birthMultiple birth and long-term outcomes Our researchers Principal investigators: James Boardman, Sarah Murray, Caroline Ovadia, Rebecca Reynolds, Gemma Sullivan, Rosie TownsendClinical lecturer: Kahyee HorBoardman research groupEdinburgh Pregnancy Research TeamOvadia research group Theirworld Edinburgh Birth Cohort (TEBC) Theirworld Edinburgh Birth Cohort (TEBC) is a research platform for improving life-course outcomes after perinatal brain injury caused by preterm birth. We have recruited a unique collection of mothers and infants, and follow children as they grow older, to study the causes and consequences of, and develop novel treatments and support strategies for improving outcomes after preterm birth. PRENCOG PRENCOG is a UKRI MRC-funded programme of research consisting of four interlinked studies. We want to discover how and why premature birth affects the developing brain so that we can develop new treatments to help children who are born early. Developmental programming of life course health and disease Researchers, focuses and related projects Our researchers Principal investigators: Rebecca Gentek, Niki Gray, Samanta Mariani, James Boardman, Sarah Murray, Caroline Ovadia, Rebecca Reynolds, Rosie TownsendBoardman research groupEdinburgh Pregnancy Research TeamGentek research groupGray research groupMariani research group Research focuses Immune system development in normal and aberrant conditions; contribution of (fetal- or fetal-derived) immune cells to developmental processes.Understanding how mRNAs are regulated at the level of translation and the consequences of their misregulation for stillbirth, fetal growth restriction, and cardiovascular dysfunctionThe role of embryonic macrophages in haematopoiesis and organogenesis in mammalian embryos, and how their biological functions can contribute to the in utero onset of infant diseasesDiscovery of early life determinants of health at the population level through healthcare-record data-linkage and cohort studies Born in Scotland The Born in Scotland study links routinely available information on maternal and child outcomes, with biological samples (for example, blood leftover from routine pregnancy samples) and ultrasound data to answer ‘Why are some babies in Scotland born early, or ill?’ and ‘How does our time in the womb influence our health throughout our lives?’ Our approaches Building richly phenotyped perinatal cohorts We have built several richly phenotyped cohorts of pregnant women and babies, phenotyped by structure (brain MRI), biology (immune function, DNA methylation, stress axis activation, cardiovascular phenotype, gut microbiome), medicine, the social graph, and behaviour. We have developed tools for integrating multi-scale early life data. We host a biobank containing rare pregnancy-related tissue samples. These samples support a pipeline of translational research, spanning patient surveys, in vitro assays, model systems, the identification of new targets, prediction modelling, and clinical trials.Edinburgh Reproductive Tissue BiobankPreterm Neurodevelopment Cognition Using cutting-edge technologies We employ state-of-the-art techniques, including single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, high-resolution proteomics, epigenomics, retinal imaging, and quantitative magnetic resonance imaging of the neonatal brain and placenta. These advanced technologies help to drive progress in understanding disease mechanisms, identifying therapeutic targets, and developing new biomarkers to support precision medicine.Edinburgh ImagingIRR Core TechnologiesEdinburgh Clinical Research FacilityMass Spectrometry Core Facility Population-level data for life course research We utilise healthcare-record data linkage to investigate the consequences of a mother’s health during pregnancy and adversities in the perinatal period on the health, education, and well-being of the next generation.Born in Scotland Strong integration with the NHS, patients and the public Our diverse research portfolio is integrated within the NHS to ensure that our findings are directly relevant to clinical practice. Public and patient engagement is fundamental to our research and its impact on healthcare and society. Academic and Clinical Central Office for Research and Development This article was published on 2025-08-28
