Focus
Diabetes and metabolic diseases
Inflammation and infectious diseases
Neuroscience and neurological disorders
Respiratory health
Group leaders
Group members
Dr George Herok
The major interest of my research is on the factors affecting foetal development and health outcomes in multiple organ systems. Developmental markers have been the centre of my research.
Recently, the long term impact of intrauterine environmental changes has been extended into the risk of chronic disease in the offspring. The primary outcomes include neurocognitive disorder (learning and memory disorders), respiratory disorders (asthma and COPD), and metabolic disorders (fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes). The secondary outcomes include chronic kidney disease.
The models include maternal obesity, maternal cigarette smoking, maternal e-cigarette smoking, and maternal inhalation of air pollutant. Increased oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction are the putative/proposed pathways.