Sara Rayhan
University of Southampton,
Southampton, UK

https://doi.org/10.36866/pn.110.43a

I received a Summer Studentship last year for a project at the University of Southampton, under the supervision of Felino Cagampang and Jane Cleal. My project examined the effects of maternal obesity in pregnancy on the placenta, an organ that supplies the fetus with oxygen and nutrients, in mice. More specifically, we measured placental expression of two growth-related genes in obese pregnant mice. One gene is responsible for blood vessel formation (VEGF) and the other (RAPTOR) for the response to nutrient and insulin levels. Both have been linked to cardiovascular disease. We also examined the effect of maternal metformin treatment in obese pregnancy on the expression levels of these genes in the placenta. Metformin is a drug used to treat gestational diabetes but its effect on the placenta and the developing fetus is unknown. Maternal high-fat diet (HFD) during pregnancy reduced VEGF mRNA expression in the placenta depending on metformin treatment, while placental RAPTOR expression increased with maternal HFD. These changes in gene expression could alter placental function and fetal development, and have long-term consequences on cardiometabolic health of the offspring. It further suggests that metformin should be prescribed with caution to pregnant women.

Due to the great deal of guidance given, the project was far less daunting and the workload was more than manageable. I learnt that research is coordinated within a specific lab group, with individuals each conducting their own research projects, and feeding back to the team to provide a more holistic understanding. Also, numerous different departments liaise with each other, and I had the privilege of being able to attend these meetings along with conferences held within the hospital. This showed me how a research environment is very much interdisciplinary and relies on understanding how the work presented by others may impact your own research.

This studentship has given me the opportunity to experience what it means to be a part of a research group and the fundamental impact your work could have, and this is something that has very much resonated with me. It’s allowed me to be challenged, but also to gain a greater insight and grow in confidence in my laboratory techniques. Because of this, I now realise that a research-intensive career is not beyond my reach and that it is far less intimidating than I perceived it to be. The experience gave me the confidence to pursue a laboratory project for my final year dissertation, which I am currently in the process of writing.