Unfortunately, Eleanor Armstrong is now unable to speak at today's seminar, so the meeting will contain only one presentation, by Priscilla Day-Walsh. Eleanor will present at on 8 June 2023 instead.
Thursday 13 April 2023, 1pm - 2pm
Understanding the role of the microbiome in development and their influence on pregnancy outcomes
Priscilla Day-Walsh (PDN)
Sex ed for astronauts: reflections and direction setting
Eleanor Armstrong (Stockholm University/HPS)
Chair: Jasmine Mack (O&G)
The meeting will be held on Zoom: please contact Christina Rozeik to receive the Zoom details.
Speakers and abstracts
Understanding the role of the microbiome in development and their influence on pregnancy outcomes
Priscilla Day-Walsh (PDN)
Owing to its effects on physiological functions, the microbiome is a promising novel target for diagnosing, treating and preventing both communicable and non-communicable diseases. While the diversity and composition of the maternal microbiome has been shown to change during the course of pregnancy, the effects on the maternal-placenta-fetal unit is poorly understood. Here I will discuss, current evidence on the importance of the microbiome and its components in development and how they are likely to influence maternal-placenta-fetal physiology and subsequently pregnancy outcomes.
About Priscilla: I am a Next Generation Fellow at the Centre for Trophoblast Research working in the group of Professor Steve Charnock-Jones in the Departments of Obstetrics & Gynaecology.
My key research interests are in understanding how the human gut microbiome can be utilised as a novel tool for predicting, preventing and treating pregnancy complications and associated mortality and morbidity. In particular my research aims to provide a mechanistic understanding of how the maternal gut microbiota affects maternal-placental-fetal physiology and the impact this has on pregnancy outcomes and health across the life-span.
I believe that understanding the microbiome is key to overcoming some of global medical challenges such as antibiotic resistance, communicable and non-communicable diseases. To this end I have been instrumental in developing methodological approaches for investigating and analysing microbial metabolites in biological samples. I hope to combine these methods with functional and metagenomic approaches to understand the role of maternal gut microbiome in pregnancy in health and disease.
Sex ed for astronauts: reflections and direction setting
Eleanor Armstrong (Stockholm University/HPS)
Our speculative futures project ’Sex Ed for Astronauts' takes four fictional futures and imagines what materials might be needed to support lives that centre pleasure, consent, intimacy and care - through sex education and beyond. This talk will walk through some of the working practices that have led to this Conceptions-sponsored project; and how working across disciplines has brought together novel ideas and perspectives for this design research project.
Eleanor Armstrong is a postdoctoral research currently based at Stockholm University. She researches the social studies of outer space, with an emphasis on how we come to know about space through informal education. Armstrong works with Akvilė Terminatė on EXO-MOAN, a speculative design studio centred on prioritising care, intimacy and pleasure in outer space futures. You can learn more about EXO-MOAN and Sex Ed for Astronauts on our instagram: @inspacenoonecanhearyoumoan
The Early Researchers Seminar Series (ERSS) is a platform for PhD Students and early career researchers (ECRs) at the University of Cambridge with research foci on reproduction to share and discuss their research with other academics from a range of disciplines also researching reproduction at the University. Seminars are held on Zoom on the second Thursday of every month, 1pm - 2pm. For more information, and for the full 2022-2023 programme, please see the main ERSS page.