Dr Adam Watkins from the Division of Child Health, Obstetrics and Gynaecology has been awarded a three-year BBSRC New Investigator Responsive Mode grant.
The title of the grant is ‘Defining the impact of paternal nutrition on fetal growth regulation’ and the full economic cost value of the award is £633,105. This grant is in collaboration with researchers at the University of Birmingham and researchers within the Advanced Data Analysis Centre (ADAC) here at the University of Nottingham.
The focus of the research is on understanding the impact of paternal diet on the quality of his sperm and how this affects the development of the early embryo and the growth of the fetus. This is important to understand as we know that changes in patterns of growth during fetal life (i.e being born too big or small) can increase the risk of those individuals developing heart disease, diabetes and obesity in adult life. While a lot of research as investigated the importance of maternal diet during pregnancy for the long-term health of her offspring, we know little about the importance of a father’s diet.
The aim is to be able to provide better information for intending fathers about the importance of a good diet and lifestyle for the quality of their sperm and the long-term health of their offspring.
School of Medicine The University of Nottingham Queen's Medical Centre, D Floor, East Block Nottingham, NG7 2UH
telephone: +44 (0) 115 823 1000 email:anne.whitchurch@nottingham.ac.uk