Eckert, Judith - University of Southampton

个人简介

Dr Eckert was appointed to the Faculty of Medicine in 2001. After qualifying as a veterinarian in 1992 at the Veterinary School in Hanover, Germany, she finished her DVM/PhD in 1994 there and at the FAL Institute for Animal Breeding and Behaviour Mariensee, Neustadt, Germany. She qualified as specialist for animal reproductive medicine in 1998 and held postdoctoral positions in Germany and New Zealand before coming to Southampton in 1998. In 2001 she was appointed as Lecturer and 2008 as Senior Lecturer in Medicine. Dr Eckert leads a group that investigates regulation of very early mammalian development before implantation and how these processes adapt to prevailing external cues such as for example maternal diet or in vitro culture. Thus her research is widely relevant to both clinical and basic scientists involved in obstetrics and gynaecology or reproductive technologies and long-term health outcomes. Her group is based at the Southampton General Hospital campus and forms part of a large consortium comprising of both clinical and basic scientists with an interest in development and disease. Potential students, post-doctoral scientists or clinician scientists who are interested in joining her group are encouraged to contact Dr Eckert.

研究领域

Dr Eckert and surrounding groups are interested in how the very first steps in mammalian development are brought about and what regulates them. Subsequent to fertilisation, the embryo undergoes a series of cell divisions before it starts to differentiate into a blastocyst which will implant into the uterine wall. This blastocyst comprises of the inner cell mass (ICM) which gives rise to the embryo proper and is the source of embryonic stem cells, and the epithelial trophectoderm (TE) which will become the placental lineages. Before achieving this milestone in mammalian development, the embryo has to undergo dynamic and complex remodelling processes. Interplay between gene expression, epigenetic, signalling and metabolic mechanisms regulates cellular re-organisation permissive to developmental competence to the blastocyst. In the human, many embryos fail to follow this appropriate differentiation programme at different levels and may not develop normally. Using animal models, studies from Dr Eckert’s and surrounding groups have shown measurable changes in blastocysts at all basic organisational levels as a consequence of in vitro culture or maternal dietary challenges. These changes can lead to persistent alteration in fetal and postnatal development. Main current interests lie in identifying which specific developmental steps and mechanisms are most severely affected and to develop strategies how such alterations may be prevented. Specific project areas are listed below

近期论文

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Embryos, DOHaD and David Barker - Fleming, Thomas, Velazquez, Miguel and Eckert, Judith Published:2015Publication:Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and DiseaseVolume:6, (5)Page Range:377-383doi:10.1017/S2040174415001105PMID:25952250 Amino acid composition of human uterine fluid: association with age, lifestyle and gynaecological pathology - Kermack, Alexandra J., Finn-Sell, Sarah, Cheong, Ying C., Brook, Nicholas, Eckert, Judith J., Macklon, Nick S and Houghton, Franchesca D. Published:2015Publication:Human ReproductionVolume:30, (4)Page Range:917-924doi:10.1093/humrep/dev008PMID:25697730 Do little embryos make big decisions? How maternal dietary protein restriction can permanently change an embryo. - Fleming, Tom P., Watkins, Adam J., Sun, Congshan, Velazquez, Miguel A., Smyth, Neil and Eckert, Judith J Published:2015Publication:Reproduction Fertility and DevelopmentVolume:27, (4)Page Range:684-692doi:10.1071/RD14455PMID:25730413 Nutrition of females during the peri-conceptional period and effects on foetal programming and health of offspring - Fleming, T.P., Velazquez, M.A., Eckert, J.J., Lucas, E.S. and Watkins, A.J. Published:2012Publication:Animal Reproduction ScienceVolume:130, (3-4)Page Range:193-197doi:10.1016/j.anireprosci.2012.01.015PMID:22341375