Aim
To understand how our long-term health and well-being are shaped by factors influencing the very earliest stages of development. Associate Professor Adam Watkins
Lead – Dr Adam Watkins
Dr Watkins research has always focused on how factors, such as diet, can affect the earliest stages of reproduction and development and their impact on the long-term health of the offspring. His PhD and postdoctoral research has explored the role of maternal diet on embryonic, fetal and adult offspring development. His team and collaborators study the significance of the father’s diet for shaping the wellbeing of his offspring. Currently, they are studying how a poor father’s diet influences the epigenetic status of his sperm, the development and metabolism of the preimplantation embryo, the development of the fetus and the function of the placenta.
Research Focus
- Parental Health
- Reproductive Health
- Drug safety and fetal toxins
- Parental and fetal nutrition
- Placental function
- Screening and diagnostics
The heath of the parents can directly influence the quality of their sperm and eggs. Lifestyle factors such as a poor-quality diet, smoking or excessive alcohol intake can all impair sperm and egg quality, reducing the fertility of the parents. However, sub-optimal lifestyle factors can also impair embryonic development, fetal growth, placental function and, ultimately, the long-term health of the offspring. Gaining a better insight into how parental health affects their reproductive well-being can provide new screening and diagnostic opportunities to prevent the programming of long-term offspring ill-health.