Sophie Dargan

I am working closely with Dr Rachel Crew and Dr Billy Yung, exploring mechanisms behind maternal maladaptation in complicated pregnancies relating to defective placental function. Dr Yung has previously demonstrated that placental Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) stress has a pivotal role in the development and pathophysiology of early-onset preeclampsia.

We are studying a transgenic murine model (Jz-Xbp1-/-). This model allows for ER stress to be activated within the placenta only. This will help elucidate the role that placental ER stress has on placental physiology, maternal health and developmental programming. The complications resulting from placental ER stress can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease development in both mother and baby later in life. This model also allows us to examine the potential pathways and pathologies that cause this and whether the alleviation of placental stress could act as a therapeutic target.