Professor Julie Owens

Biography/ Background

Current Appointments

• Head, School of Paediatrics & Reproductive Health
• Associate Dean Research, Faculty of Health Sciences
• Co-Director, Research Centre for Early Origins of Health and Disease
• Research Leader of EOHAD Research Group

Early Origins of Health and Disease Research Group

Professor Julie Owens, PhD, BSc(Hons): Director

Professor Jeffrey Robinson, MRCOG, MRCOG, FRACOG, FRCOG: Research Leader

Dr Kathryn Gatford, PhD, BSc(Hons): Senior Researcher

Dr Miles De Blasio, PhD, BSc(Hons): Early Career Researcher

Ms Patricia Grant, MSc, BSc: Research Staff

Dr Anne Macpherson, PhD: Researcher

Dr Tina Bianco-Miotto, PhD: Researcher (Dame Roma Mitchell Cancer Research Laboratory) 

Students   

Dane Horton, BSc (Hons): PhD student

Wee-Ching Kong, BSc (Hons): PhD student

Saidatul Naziah Mohammad, BSC (Hons): PhD student

Vincent Chu, BSc (Hons): PhD student

Himawan Harryanto, BSc (Hons): PhD student

Siti Sulaiman, BSc (Hons): PhD student

Ezani Mohamed Jamil, BSc (Hons): PhD student

Tulika Bose, MSc: PhD student

Candice Houda: Honours student

Siti Famida Zulkifli: Honours student  

 

Awards & Achievements

• The Molley Towell Lecturer, Western Perinatal Society, Canada (2000)
•  The McCance Medal, for outstanding contributions to perinatal research, The Neonatal Society, Royal Society of Medicine, UK (1999)
• Elected Fellow, Perinatal Research Society, USA (1999) 

Research Interests

Our research group is part of the Research Centre for the Early Origins of Health and Disease (EOHaD), an international leader in the investigation of the intergenerational and perinatal origins of metabolic and cardiovascular health in postnatal life.

Our research program focuses on those aspects of health that are profoundly influenced by events in early life and possibly in previous generations, including diabetes, obesity and cancer risk.

Our aims are to:

• understand how common exposures in early life affect our later health, including
  • placental and fetal growth restriction
  • maternal vitamin supplementation such as folic acid
  •  maternal and paternal obesity and diabetes
• the mechanisms involved including how these early life exposures interact with the genome and affect the epigenome to determine our later health
• identify interventions to either prevent the conditions that initiate programming of our later health or to overcome or reverse such programming, including
  • maternal growth hormone treatment
  • maternal dietary supplements; arginine, folic acid and methyl nutrients.

Recent discoveries include:

• placental restriction
  •   inducing diabetes in adult offspring via impaired beta cell function and growth and insulin resistance
  • obesity in offspring via altered appetite control
  • altering expression on novel small regulatory RNAs that can target and repress expression of multiple mRNAs to affect major pathways in glucoregulatory tissues
• maternal folic acid supplementation or dietary folate and methyl nutrient deficiency in rodents changing the epigenome and the physiology of offpring.

We utilise a range of experimental paradigms in non-human species to investigate the molecular, genetic and epigenetic basis of early life programming of health and disease.  We also collaborate with our clinical and epidemiological colleagues in complementary studies in humans.

The current research programs are:

• Early life programming of diabetes and obesity: fetal growth restriction, maternal obesity
• Functional and epigenetic consequences of maternal micro and macronutrient deficiencies for metabolic function and cancer risk of offspring
• Micronutrient, dietary and other interventions in mother and offspring to overcome placental programming of metabolic disease
• Efficacy of micronutrient and other interventions in mother and offspring and their molecular and epigenetic basis.   

 

 

Research Funding

Our work is funded by:

• National Health and Medical Research Council
• Diabetes Australia Trust
• CRC for an Internationally Competitive Pork Industry
• Channel 7 Children's Research Foundation
• Group of Eight/DAAD Australian-German Research Co-operation Scheme
• National Institutes of Health   

Publications

Research Publications and Metrics:

Publications as listed on http://www.researcherid.com/rid/C-9744-2009

Selected publications (2005 - 2010) from over 140 refereed articles, reviews and book chapters published since 1984:

Siebel A, Gallo L, Guan T, Owens JA, Wlodek M. (2010). Cross-fostering and improved lactation ameliorates deficits in endocrine pancreatic morphology in growth restricted adult male rat offspring. Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease In press  

De Blasio MJ, Blache D, Gatford KL, Robinson JS, Owens JA. (2010).  Effect of placental restriction on circulating leptin and its relationship to insulin action, adiposity and feeding activity in the young lamb.  Paediatric Research; 67(6):603-8 

Gatford KL, Simmons RA, De Blasio MJ, Robinson JS and Owens JA. (2010). Review: Placental Programming of Postnatal Diabetes and Impaired Insulin Action after IUGR. Placenta 31 Suppl:S60-5

Gatford KL, Smits RJ, Collins CL, Argent C, De Blasio MJ, Roberts CT, Nottle MB, Kind KL, Owens JA. (2010). Maternal responses to daily maternal porcine somatotropin injections during early-mid or early-late pregnancy in sows and gilts.  Journal of Animal Science 88(4):1365-78. 

Sullivan TM, Micke GC, Perkins N, Martin GB, Wallace CR, Gatford KL, Owens JA and Perry VEA. (2009). Dietary protein during gestation affects maternal insulin-like growth factor, insulin-like growth factor binding protein, leptin concentrations, and fetal growth in heifers. Journal of Animal Science. 87(10):3304-16.

Romano T, Wark JD, Owens JA and Wlodek ME. (2009). Prenatal growth restriction and postnatal growth restriction followed by accelerated growth independently program reduced bone growth and strength. Bone. 45(1):132-41.

Moritz KM, Mazzuca MQ, Siebel AL, Mibus A, Arena D, Tare M, Owens JA and Wlodek ME. (2009). Uteroplacental insufficiency causes a nephron deficit, modest renal insufficiency but no hypertension with ageing in female rats. Journal of Physiology-London. 587(11):2635-46.

Lumbers ER, Kim MY, Burrell JH, Kumarasamy V, Boyce AC, Gibson KJ, Gatford KL and Owens JA. (2009). Effects of intrafetal IGF-I on growth of cardiac myocytes in late-gestation fetal sheep. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism. 296(3):E513-E9.

Gatford KL, Smits RJ, Collins CL, Argent C, De Blasio MJ, Roberts CT, Nottle MB, Kind KL and Owens JA. (2009). Maternal responses to daily maternal porcine somatotropin injections during early-mid or early-late pregnancy in sows and gilts. J Anim Sci.

Gatford KL, De Blasio MJ, Roberts CT, Nottle MB, Kind KL, van Wettere W, Smits RJ and Owens JA. (2009). Responses to maternal GH or ractopamine during early-mid pregnancy are similar in primiparous and multiparous pregnant pigs. Journal of Endocrinology. 203(1):143-54.

Wlodek ME, Westcott K, Siebel AL, Owens JA and Moritz KM. (2008). Growth restriction before or after birth reduces nephron number and increases blood pressure in male rats. Kidney International. 74(2):187-95.

Wlodek ME, Mazzuca MQ, Siebel AL, Mibus AL, Arena D, Tare M, Owens JA and Moritz KM. (2008). Programming of a nephron deficit, glomerular hypertrophy and renal dysfunction following uteroplacental insufficiency and the role of postnatal nutrition. Journal of Hypertension. 26:S387-S.

Wadley GD, Siebel AL, Cooney GJ, McConell GK, Wlodek ME and Owens JA. (2008). Uteroplacental insufficiency and reducing litter size alters skeletal muscle mitochondrial biogenesis in a sex-specific manner in the adult rat. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism. 294(5):E861-E9.

Siebel AL, Mibus A, De Blasio MJ, Westcott KT, Morris MJ, Prior L, Owens JA and Wlodek ME. (2008). Improved lactational nutrition and postnatal growth ameliorates impairment of glucose tolerance by uteroplacental insufficiency in male rat offspring. Endocrinology. 149(6):3067-76.

Sferruzzi-Perri AN, Owens JA, Standen P and Roberts CT. (2008). Maternal insulin-like growth factor-II promotes placental functional development via the type 2 IGF receptor in the guinea pig. Placenta. 29(4):347-55.

Roberts CT, Owens JA and Sferruzzi-Perri AN. (2008). Distinct actions of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) on placental development and fetal growth: Lessons from mice and guinea pigs. Placenta. 29:S42-S7.

Quigley SP, Kleemann DO, Walker SK, Speck PA, Rudiger SR, Nattrass GS, DeBlasio MJ and Owens JA. (2008). Effect of variable long-term maternal feed allowance on the development of the ovine placenta and fetus. Placenta. 29(6):539-48.

Gatford KL, Owens JA, Li SF, Moss TJM, Newnham JP, Challis JRG and Sloboda DM. (2008). Repeated betamethasone treatment of pregnant sheep programs persistent reductions in circulating IGF-I and IGF-binding proteins in progeny. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism. 295(1):E170-E8.

Gatford KL, Mohammad SNB, Harland ML, De Blasio MJ, Fowden AL, Robinson JS and Owens JA. (2008). Impaired beta-cell function and inadequate compensatory increases in beta-cell mass after intrauterine growth restriction in sheep. Endocrinology. 149(10):5118-27.

Wlodek ME, Mibus AL, Tan A, Arena D, Siebel AL, Owens JA and Moritz KM. (2007). Uteroplacental insufficiency causes growth restriction and a nephron deficit but no hypertension in female offspring with adequate postnatal nutrition preventing the nephron deficit. Early Human Development. 83:S111-S.

Wlodek ME, Mibus A, Tan A, Siebel AL, Owens JA and Moritz KM. (2007). Normal lactational environment restores nephron endowment and prevents hypertension after placental restriction in the rat. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. 18(6):1688-96.

Siebell AL, Guan T, Owens JA, Westcott KT and Wlodek ME. (2007). Uteroplacental insufficiency causes growth restriction which impairs glucose tolerance and insulin secretion, due to compromised pancreatic structure in adult male offspring. Early Human Development. 83:S75-S6.

Sferruzzi-Perri AN, Owens JA, Standen P, Taylor RL, Robinson JS and Roberts CT. (2007). Early pregnancy maternal endocrine insulin-like growth factor I programs the placenta for increased functional capacity throughout gestation. Endocrinology. 148(9):4362-70.

Sferruzzi-Perri AN, Owens JA, Standen P, Taylor RL, Heinemann GK, Robinson JS and Roberts CT. (2007). Early treatment of the pregnant guinea pig with IGFs promotes placental transport and nutrient partitioning near term. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism. 292(3):E668-E76.

Ross JT, McMillen IC, Lok F, Thiel AG, Owens JA and Coulter CL. (2007). Intrafetal insulin-like growth factor-I infusion stimulates adrenal growth but not steroidogenesis in the sheep fetus during late gestation. Endocrinology. 148(11):5424-32.

Romano T, Wark JD, Owens JA, Morris HA and Wlodek ME. (2007). Reduced bone mineral content, size, and strength caused by intrauterine growth restriction are corrected by an improved postnatal lactational environment in female offspring. Early Human Development. 83:S58-S.

Roberts CT, Standen P, Sferruzzi-Perri AN, Owens JA, Kumarasamy V and Lumbers ER. (2007). Novel but distinct interactions of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) with the placental renin-angiotensin system in early gestation in guinea pigs. Early Human Development. 83:S146-S.

Pirc LK, Owens JA, Crowther CA, Willson K, De Blasio MJ and Robinson JS. (2007). Mild gestational diabetes in pregnancy and the adipoinsular axis in babies born to mothers in the ACHOIS randomised controlled trial. BMC Pediatrics. 7.

Owens JA, Thavaneswaran P, De Blasio MJ, McMillen IC, Robinson JS and Gatford KL. (2007). Specific effects of placental restriction on components of the metabolic syndrome in young adult sheep. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism. 292(6):E1879-E89.

Owens JA, Harland ML, De Blasio MJ, Gatford KL, Crosby D, Hoey A and Robinson JS. (2007). Restriction of placental and fetal growth reduces expression of insulin signalling and glucose transporter genes in skeletal muscle of young lambs. Early Human Development. 83:S134-S.

Owens JA, Gatford KL, De Blasio MJ, Edwards LJ, McMillen IC and Fowden AL. (2007). Restriction of placental growth in sheep impairs insulin secretion but not sensitivity before birth. Journal of Physiology-London. 584(3):935-49.

Owens JA, De Blasio MJ, Blache D, Gatford KL and Robinson JS. (2007). Placental restriction increases plasma leptin and alters its relationship to feeding activity in the young lamb. Early Human Development. 83:S129-S30.

Owens JA. (2007). Placental programming of insulin action: life course and molecular basis. Early Human Development. 83:S133-S.

Morley R, Moore VM, Dwyer T, Owens JA, Umstad MP and Carlin JB. (2007). Maternal birthweight and outcome of twin pregnancy. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology. 21(6):501-6.

Kennaway DJ, Owens JA, Voultsios A, Boden MJ and Varcoe TJ. (2007). Metabolic homeostasis in mice with disrupted Clock gene expression in peripheral tissues. American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology. 293(4):R1528-R37.

Gatford KL, Dalitz PA, Cock ML, Harding R and Owens JA. (2007). Acute ethanol exposure in pregnancy alters the insulin-like growth factor axis of fetal and maternal sheep. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism. 292(2):E494-E500.

De Blasio MJ, Gatford KL, Robinson JS and Owens JA. (2007). Placental restriction of fetal growth reduces size at birth and alters postnatal growth, feeding activity, and adiposity in the young lamb. American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology. 292(2):R875-R86.

De Blasio MJ, Gatford KL, McMillen IC, Robinson JS and Owens JA. (2007). Placental restriction of fetal growth increases insulin action, growth, and adiposity in the young lamb. Endocrinology. 148(3):1350-8.

De Blasio MJ, Dodic M, Jefferies AJ, Moritz KM, Wintour EM and Owens JA. (2007). Maternal exposure to dexamethasone or cortisol in early pregnancy differentially alters insulin secretion and glucose homeostasis in adult male sheep offspring. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism. 293(1):E75-E82.

Boyce AC, Gibson KJ, Wintour EM, Koukoulas I, Gatford KL, Owens JA and Lumbers ER. (2007). The kidney is resistant to chronic hypoglycaemia in late-gestation fetal sheep. Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology. 85(6):597-605.

Woldek ME, Tan A, Mibus AI, Siebel AL, Owens JA and Moritz K. (2006). Low nephron endowment and hypertension caused by prenatal placental restriction can be prevented by a normal lactational environment. Journal of Hypertension. 24:60-.

Wlodek ME, Tan A, Mibus AL, Siebel AL, Owens JA and Moritz K. (2006). A normal lactational environment prevents reduced nephron endowment and hypertension following placental restriction in the rat. Journal of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation. 13(2):431.

Walker FR, Owens J, Ali S and Hodgson DM. (2006). Individual differences in glucose homeostasis: Do our early life interactions with bacteria matter? Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. 20(4):401-9.

Sferruzzi-Perri AN, Owens JA, Pringle KG, Robinson JS and Roberts CT. (2006). Maternal insulin-like growth factors-I and -II act via different pathways to promote fetal growth. Endocrinology. 147(7):3344-55.

Roberts CT, Standen P, Sferruzzi-Perri AN, Owens JA, Robinson JS, Taylor R and Heinemann G. (2006). Acute effects of endocrine insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and -II on the mother, fetus and placenta in the guinea pig. Placenta. 27(9-10):A51-A.

Parkington HC, Tare M, Mibus AL, Owens JA and Wlodek ME. (2006). Influence of the intrauterine and the lactational environments on vascular function in adulthood. Journal of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation. 13(2):368.

Owens JA, Leone F, Siebel AL, Wadley G, McConell G, Cooney G and Wlodek ME. (2006). Placental restriction impairs glucose control, insulin action and skeletal muscle mitochondrial capacity in adult offspring. Journal of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation. 13(2):89.

Morley R, Umstad MP, Bond J, Moore VM, Owens JA, Dwyer T and Carlin JB. (2006). Maternal dietary intake in twin pregnancies: Does it diminish towards term? Twin Research and Human Genetics. 9(5):656-8.

Lipsett J, Tamblyn M, Madigan K, Roberts P, Cool JC, Runciman SIC, McMillen IC, Robinson J and Owens JA. (2006). Restricted fetal growth and lung development: A morphometric analysis of pulmonary structure. Pediatric Pulmonology. 41(12):1138-45.

Kennaway DJ, Owens JA, Voultsios A and Varcoe TJ. (2006). Functional central rhythmicity and light entrainment, but not liver and muscle rhythmicity, are Clock independent. American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology. 291(4):R1172-R80.
De Blasio MJ, Gatford KL, Robinson JS and Owens JA. (2006). Placental restriction alters circulating thyroid hormone in the young lamb postnatally. American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology. 291(4):R1016-R24.

Wlodek ME, Owens JA, Siebel AL and Moritz K. (2005). Reduced nephron endowment and hypertension emerge following placental restriction in the rat. Pediatric Research. 58(5):1024-.

Wlodek ME, Milbus AL, O'Dowd R, Westcott KT and Owens JA. (2005). The nutritional environment during lactation is critical for programming postnatal growth and adult body composition following placental restriction in the rat. Pediatric Research. 58(5):1021-.

Sferruzzi-Perrio AN, Owens JA, Pringle KG, Robinson JS and Roberts CT. (2005). Exogenous insulin like growth factors in early pregnancy act via different mechanisms to promote fetal growth. Placenta. 26(8-9):A20-A.

Quigley SP, Kleemann DO, Kakar MA, Owens JA, Nattrass GS, Maddocks S and Walker SK. (2005). Myogenesis in sheep is altered by maternal feed intake during the peri-conception period. Animal Reproduction Science. 87(3-4):241-51.

Owens JA, Tran M, Lee I, Taylor R, Horton D and Robinson JS. (2005). Increased intramyocellular lipid causes skeletal muscle insulin resistance in the young adult guinea pig of low birthweight. Pediatric Research. 58(5):1011-.

Morley R, Moore VM, Dwyer T, Owens JA, Umstad MP and Carlin JB. (2005). Association between erythropoietin in cord blood of twins and size at birth: Does it relate to gestational factors or to factors during labor or delivery? Pediatric Research. 57(5):680-4.

Kind KL, Roberts CT, Sohlstrom AI, Katsman A, Clifton PM, Robinson JS and Owens JA. (2005). Chronic maternal feed restriction impairs growth but increases adiposity of the fetal guinea pig. American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology. 288(1):R119-R26.

Grover S, Coulter CL, Walker MR, Kind KL, Robinson JS and Owens JA. (2005). Effect of metyrapone on circulating cortisol and glucose homeostasis in the guinea pig. Pediatric Research. 58(5):1090-1.

Grant PA, Kind KL, Roberts CT, Sohlstrom A, Owens PC and Owens JA. (2005). Late pregnancy increases hepatic expression of insulin-like growth factor-I in well nourished guinea pigs. Growth Hormone & Igf Research. 15(2):165-71.

Gatford KL, Owens JA, Dalitz PA, Cock ML and Harding R. (2005). Moderate fetal alcohol exposure in late gestation reduces fetal IGF-II abundance and alters circulating IGFBPs. Pediatric Research. 58(5):1056-.

De Blasio MJ, Walker MR, Taylor RL, Grant PA, Gatford KL, Owens PC, Robinson JS and Owens JA. (2005). Placenta] restriction impairs insulin-like growth factor (IGF) action on lucose metabolism but enhances that on lipolysis and adipose tissue postnatally in the sheep. Pediatric Research. 58(5):1055-6.

Dalitz PA, Cock ML, Duncan JR, Rees SM, Gatford KL, Owens JA and Harding R. (2005). Moderate fetal alcohol exposure in late gestation induces white matter injury and increases apoptosis in the fetal brain. Pediatric Research. 58(5):1080-.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Entry last updated: Monday, 31 Oct 2011