Research
I have recently joined Dr Aiken’s team as a post doc. The aim of this project is to use cutting-edge in vitro techniques, including placental organoids, to evaluate the impact of metformin on the placenta early in pregnancy. Evidence suggests that metformin could be an effective preventative treatment for both miscarriage and pre-eclampsia. These conditions are urgent clinical priorities; they are frequent, severe, and have very few current effective therapeutic options.
Publications
Tarry-Adkins, J. L., Robinson, I. G., Pantaleão, L. C., Armstrong, J. L., Thackray, B. D., Holzner, L. M. W., Knapton, A. E., Virtue, S., Jenkins, B., Koulman, A., Murray, A. J., Ozanne, S. E., & Aiken, C. E. (2023). The metabolic response of human trophoblasts derived from term placentas to metformin. Diabetologia, 66(12), 2320–2331. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-023-05996-3
Tarry-Adkins JL, Ozanne SE, Aiken CE. Impact of metformin treatment during pregnancy on maternal outcomes: a systematic review/meta-analysis. Sci Rep. 2021;11(1):9240.
Cluver CA, Hiscock R, Decloedt EH, et al. Use of metformin to prolong gestation in preterm pre-eclampsia: randomised, double blind, placebo controlled trial. BMJ. 2021;374:n2103.
Hufnagel A, Fernandez-Twinn DS, Blackmore HL, et al. Maternal but not fetoplacental health can be improved by metformin in a murine diet-induced model of maternal obesity and glucose intolerance. J Physiol. 2022;600(4):903-919.
Tarry-Adkins JL, Robinson IG, Reynolds RM, et al. Impact of Metformin Treatment on Human Placental Energy Production and Oxidative Stress. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2022;10:935403.
Aye I, Aiken CE, Charnock-Jones DS, Smith GCS. Placental energy metabolism in health and disease-significance of development and implications for preeclampsia. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2020.
