Personal profile
Overview
University Research Fellow in Child Health
Biography
Sue obtained a BSc in Physiology (1997) and a PhD in Renal Physiology (1980) from Manchester University. She then undertook postdoctoral research in renal physiology, in the University Departments of Physiology and Urology at Manchester, applying micropuncture techniques to study water and electrolyte reabsorption from the proximal renal tubule. In 1989, Sue joined the Placental Research Group in the Academic Unit of Child Health, St Mary’s Hospital, in Manchester. As Experimental /Senior Experimental Officer (1993-8), she established electrophysiology laboratories for microelectrode impalement and patch clamp studies of the human placenta in vitro and designed methods to measure placental amino acid transporter activity. Since her appointment to University Research Fellow in Child Health (1998), Sue has conducted research into the development and function of the human placenta in health and disease.
Research interests
My research interests centre on human placental development and function in relation to fetal growth in health and disease. I have focused on fetal growth restriction (FGR), a common and serious complication of pregnancy in which the fetal fails to achieve its growth potential leading to death in utero or premature birth and increased risk of disease in later life. The aetiology of FGR is complex, involving altered placental development, reduced placental blood flow and inadequate placental nutrient transfer. A major interest of mine, funded by Tommy’s the baby charity, is the origin of the reduced fetoplacental blood flow that is evident in FGR. I also investigate placental trophoblast development and nutrient transporter activity in FGR, studying (a) the role of ion channels in regulating placental trophoblast cell turnover (b) the function and regulation of the system A amino acid transporter in human and mouse placenta.
Teaching
Undergraduate teaching
I regularly supervise undergraduate student laboratory projects.
Postgraduate teaching
I have formally supervised 7 PhD students and I currently supervise the following students for PhD:
- Joanna Williams (potassium channels and placental cell turnover)
- Christina Hayward (placental development and function in teenagers)
My collaborations
Prof Gloria Riquelme, University of Santiago, Chile
Memberships of committees and professional bodies
Member of the Physiological Society
Member of IFPA (International Federation of Placenta Associations)
Methodological knowledge
Micropuncture
Microelectrode impalements
Patch clamp
Primary cell culture
Membrane transport physiology
Qualifications
BSc; PhD
Research Beacons, Institutes and Platforms
- Lydia Becker Institute
- Christabel Pankhurst Institute
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 5 Gender Equality -
SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Grape seed extract polyphenols improve resistance artery function in pregnant eNOS -/-mice
Tropea, T., Greenwood, S., Sibley, C. & Cottrell, E., 6 Nov 2020, In: Frontiers in Physiology. 11, 588000.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Mechanisms Underpinning Adaptations In Placental Calcium Transport In Normal Mice And Those With Fetal Growth Restriction
Hayward, C., Mcintyre, K., Sibley, C., Greenwood, S. & Dilworth, M., 20 Nov 2018, In: Frontiers in Endocrinology.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Investigation of the Outcome of Pregnancies Complicated by Increased Fetal Movements and Their Relationship to Underlying Causes – A Prospective Cohort Study
Sharp, I., Adeyeye, T., Peacock, L., Mahdi, A., Greenwood, S. & Heazell, A., 10 Jul 2020, (Accepted/In press) In: Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Antenatal sildenafil citrate treatment increases offspring blood pressure in the placental-specific Igf2 knockout mouse model of FGR
Renshall, L., Cottrell, E., Cowley, E., Sibley, C., Baker, P. N., Thortensen, E. B., Greenwood, S., Wareing, M. & Dilworth, M., 1 Feb 2020, In: American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology. 318, 2, p. H252-H263Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Beetroot juice lowers blood pressure and improves endothelial function in pregnant eNOS-/- mice: importance of nitrate-independent effects
Tropea, T., Renshall, L., Nihlen, C., Weitzberg, E., Lundberg, J. O., David, A. L., Tsatsaris, V., Stuckey, D. J., Wareing, M., Greenwood, S., Sibley, C. & Cottrell, E., 5 May 2020, In: The Journal of Physiology. 598, 18, p. 4079-4092Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access
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Maternal & Fetal Health Research Centre
Stevens, A. (PI), Heazell, A. (PI), Tower, C. (PI), Brison, D. (PI), Johnstone, E. (PI), Cottrell, E. (PI), Mann, E. (PI), Ingram, E. (PI), Crocker, I. (PI), Chernyavsky, I. (PI), Myers, J. (PI), Aplin, J. (PI), Higgins, L. (PI), Harris, L. (PI), Dilworth, M. (PI), Westwood, M. (PI), Whitworth, M. (PI), Desforges, M. (PI), Brownbill, P. (PI), Ruane, P. (PI), Sturmey, R. (PI), Worton, S. (PI), Greenwood, S. (PI), Sibley, C. (PI), Belchamber, K. (PI), Palin, V. (PI), Povey, A. (PI), Ormesher, L. (PI) & Perchard, R. (PI)
1/09/18 → 31/12/35
Project: Research
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Developing Personalised Nanotherapies to Target Placental Abnormalities Causing Fetal Growth Restriction.
Harris, L. (PI), Aplin, J. (CoI), Brownbill, P. (CoI), Greenwood, S. (CoI), Johnstone, E. (CoI), Sibley, C. (CoI) & Wareing, M. (CoI)
16/10/17 → 31/03/21
Project: Research
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Taurine Transport Proteins in the Placenta: Novel Targets for Correcting Trophoblast Cell Turnover in Pre-Eclampsia.
Greenwood, S. (PI), Desforges, M. (CoI) & Sibley, C. (CoI)
1/08/12 → 31/08/16
Project: Research