Julian Christians

PhD

Affiliate Investigator, BC Children's Hospital

Prenatal development determines health throughout life, and the placenta plays a critical role in supplying the fetus with nutrients and oxygen. Carefully regulated interactions between the placenta and the lining of the mother’s uterus are crucial to normal placental development and a healthy pregnancy. Abnormalities in these interactions very early in pregnancy can lead to miscarriage or to complications that are not apparent until months later, when they may threaten the lives of the fetus and the mother. Understanding the etiology of such placental complications could facilitate monitoring and preventative treatment.

The placenta is also critical for responding to suboptimal prenatal environments. Since the placenta is genetically identical to the fetus, it has a biological sex and its responses may be sex-dependent. I am interested in placental function in health and disease, and how this may differ between the sexes.