Dr Kathryn Gatford

Biography/ Background

Current appointment

 

January 2010-present: NMHRC Research Fellow, Discipline of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health, University of Adelaide. Supported as CIA from my current Project Grant (NHMRC ID 627123, Preventing impaired b-cell plasticity, insulin secretion and diabetes after IUGR).

 

January 2009-present: Senior Lecturer (Academic Level C), Discipline of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health, University of Adelaide. Course coordinator for Schhol of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health Honours program and Human Reproductive Health III (B Health Sci and MBBS elective).

 

Previous appointments (2006-present)

 

January 2008-December 2009: University Research Fellow (Academic Level B), Discipline of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health, University of Adelaide. Self-supported from a Pork CRC-funded project investigating strategies to increase fetal growth, perinatal survival and muscle development in the pig.

January - December 2007: University Research Associate (Academic Level A), Discipline of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health, University of Adelaide. Self-supported from a Pork CRC-funded project investigating strategies to increase fetal growth, perinatal survival and muscle development in the pig.

July 2005-December 2006: NHMRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Adelaide. Appointed under NHMRC Program Grant “Early Life Origins of Adult Health and Disease”, which incorporated an NHMRC Project on which I was CIA. I conducted research projects within this program and collaborations related to regulation of fetal growth, and impact of the fetal environment on postnatal growth and metabolism, and their regulation by hormones including insulin, growth hormone and insulin-like growth factors.

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Melbourne, Australia, Awarded 15 March 1996.

Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Hons and dux), University of Melbourne, Australia, 1990.

 

Awards & Achievements

Invited conference symposia and plenary lectures (2006-present)

 

October 7 2009 Symposium speaker, “Placental programming of progeny metabolic health”, International  Federation of Placental Organisations Annual Scientific Meeting, Symposium on “The Placenta and Programming”

August 26 2009 Symposium speaker, “Poor growth before birth impairs insulin secretion – what we have learnt about the mechanisms from the placentally-restricted sheep”, Joint Australian Diabetes Society/Society for Reproductive Biology Symposium on “Diet and Inherited Characteristics”

August 17 2009 Symposium speaker, “Practical intervention strategy update – increasing birth weight”, Pork CRC Technical Intervention Workshop on Optimising Sow Productivity.

June 21 2007 Plenary lecture, “Maximising survival and productivity by optimising fetal growth”, Pork CRC National Workshop on Pre- and post-natal Development.

 

Local, national, international departmental seminars (2006-present)

 

June 8 2010 School of Animal and Veterinary Science, University of Adelaide, “Pigs, pST, pregnancy and progeny”, invited seminar

March 19 2010 Discipline of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Adelaide, “Animal ethics – dos and don’ts”, invited seminar

March 12 2010 Animal Ethics Researcher Training Day, University of Adelaide, “Use of animals in research – the researcher perspective”, invited seminar

October 29 2008 Discipline of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Adelaide, Journal club, “Role of epigenetic mechanisms in developmental origins of adult disease”, invited facilitator

August 15 2008 Discipline of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Adelaide, “IUGR, insulin and islets – another side to fetal programming of diabetes”, invited seminar

March 5 2008 Animal Ethics Researcher Training Day, University of Adelaide, “Use of animals in research – the researcher perspective”, invited seminar

March 16 2007 Discipline of Animal Science, University of Adelaide, “Fetal Programming of Insulin Action”, invited seminar

 

Fellowships, scholarships, awards and prizes

 

January 2001-July 2005: Hilda Farmer Medical Research Associateship, University of Adelaide Medical Research Fund

November 2000: National Association of Research Fellows of the NH&MRC Postdoctoral Young Investigator Award

March 1997-2000:  NH&MRC Australian Postdoctoral Fellowship.

1996-March 1997:  PRDC Postdoctoral Fellow.

1992-1995: Sir John & Lady Higgins PhD Scholarship, University of Melbourne

1985-1990: Awards awarded during my undergraduate degree include:

·       Sir Samuel Wadham Commemorative Medal 1990 (1990 Victorian graduate in Agricultural Science with the best overall results throughout their degree).

·       Wrixon Exhibition 1989 (Top of final honours list).

·       Arthur Sims Scholarship 1989 (Animal Production).

·       JM Higgins Exhibition 1988 (Highest aggregate mark in the third year of the degree).

Research Interests

How does the environment before birth affect postnatal growth, development and endocrine function, and how can we intervene to improve outcomes for the individual who grew poorly before birth?

Current student projects - postgraduate students:

Ms Saidatul Mohammad (PhD, co-supervisor): Maternal methyl donor supplementation in IUGR pregnancy and effects on progeny metabolism in early postnatal life

Ms Siti Aishah Sulaiman (PhD, co-supervisor): Neonatal exendin-4 after IUGR: effects on metabolism and insulin secretion in early postnatal life

Mr Hong Liu (PhD, primary supervisor): Can neonatal exendin-4 normalise insulin secretion, sensitivity and adiposity in adults after placental restriction of fetal growth?

Mr Damien Hunter (PhD, cosupervisor): Does placental restriction impair learning and can this be reversed by maternal supplementation with methyl donors in late pregnancy?

Current student projects - Honours students:

Ms Amy Wooldridge (Honours 2012, primary supervisor): Programming of postnatal immune function (collaborative project with Dr Robert Bischof, Monash, Dr Vicki Clifton, SPRH and Dr Karen Kind SAVS)

Ms Danila Marini (Honours 2012, cosupervisor): How does placental restriction of fetal growth affect responses to isolation stress? (collaborative project with Dr Susan Hazel , SAVS and Dr Julia Pitcher, SPRH)

Mr Ryan Quarrington (4th year Mech Eng, cosupervisor): Programming of bone strength by IUGR and potential restoration by intra-fetal IGF-I (collaboartive project with Dr Claire Jones and Dr Reza Zarrinkalam, SA Health, and Dr Will Robertson, Mech Eng)

Research Funding

 

Current

2011-2013 Preventing insulin resistance and obesity following fetal growth restriction

JA Owens, MJ De Blasio, KL Gatford, S Hiendleder

National Health & Medical Research Council (Project Grant, ID 1011767, $891,732)

2010-2012 Preventing impaired b-cell plasticity, insulin secretion and diabetes after IUGR

KL Gatford, JA Owens, M Dziadek, RA Simmons, MJ De Blasio

National Health & Medical Research Council (Project Grant, ID 627123,) $733,500

2012 Profiling microRNA Expression in the Pancreas of Placentally Restricted Young Adult Sheep Offspring

H Harryanto, KL Gatford, MJ De Blasio, PA Grant, JA Owens

Exiqon Grant Program ($16,000)

 

 

Completed (2006-)

2009-2010 Late gestation and lactation interventions to increase piglet growth and pre-weaning survival

KL Gatford, JA Owens, M Nottle, K Kind, W van Wettere, M De Blasio, R Smits, C Collins

CRC for an Internationally Competitive Pork Industry (2D-119, $120,000)

2009 Epigenetic mechanisms underlying impaired b-cell function after poor growth before birth

KL Gatford

Robinson Institute Early Career Research Award ($15,000)

2008 Can exendin-4 prevent impaired insulin secretion following poor growth before birth?

KL Gatford & JA Owens

Diabetes Australia Research Trust ($50,640)

 

2007-2008 The effects of exogenous PST administration and feeding ractopamine in early pregnancy on the birth weight and growth performance of gilt and sow progeny

KL Gatford, JA Owens, C Roberts, K Kind, M De Blasio, M Nottle, R Smits

CRC for an Internationally Competitive Pork Industry, Proposal in response to call for Short-term projects in Reproduction (2F-103 0607, $271,135)

 

2007 Does restriction of fetal growth impair plasticity as well as function of the beta-cell after birth?

KL Gatford & JA Owens

Diabetes Australia Research Trust ($50,000)

 

2006 Intrauterine determinants of beta-cell functional plasticity in postnatal life

KL Gatford & JA Owens

University of Adelaide Faculty of Health Sciences Research Development Award ($15,000)

2006 BioRad BioPlex Suspension System

JA Owens, SA Robertson, DJ Kennaway, CT Roberts, M Davies, RJ Norman, KL Gatford, K Kind, JS Robinson, PA Grant, A Somogyi, G Wittert, R Rodgers, PM Bartold 

NH&MRC Equipment Grant (ID 467207, $50,000)

 

2006 BioRad BioPlex Suspension System

JA Owens, JS Robinson, RJ Norman, SA Robertson, DJ Kennaway, M Davies, CT Roberts, KL Gatford, KL Kind, P Grant

Clive & Vera Ramaciotti Foundation General Awards (Equipment, $25,000)

2006 BioRad BioPlex Suspension System

JA Owens, SA Robertson, DJ Kennaway, CT Roberts, M Davies, RJ Norman, KL Gatford, K Kind, JS Robinson, PA Grant, A Somogyi, G Wittert, R Rodgers, PM Bartold 

University of Adelaide Faculty of Health Sciences Equipment Grant ($25,000) 

 

 

 

 

Publications

Recent publications (2006-present); refereed articles

J39	MJ De Blasio, KL Gatford, ML Harland, JS Robinson, JA Owens 2012 Placental Restriction Reduces Insulin Sensitivity and Expression of Insulin Signaling and Glucose Transporter Genes in Skeletal Muscle, but not Liver, in Young Sheep . Endocrinology, EN-S-11-01226 accepted 16 February 2012.
J38	KL Gatford, MJ De Blasio, TA How, ML Harland, BL Summers-Pearce, JA Owens 2012 Chronic hyperglycaemia in sheep up-regulates insulin secretion and b-cell function in vivo. Experimental Physiology  EXPPHYSIOL/2011/063560, accepted 25 January 2012, in press doi: 10.1113/expphysiol.2011.063560 [Impact factor 3.333]
J37	KL Gatford, RJ Smits, CL Collins, MJ De Blasio, CT Roberts, MB Nottle, WHEJ van Wettere, KL Kind, JA Owens 2011 Maternal pST treatment in late gestation increases progeny weight at birth and weaning in sows but not in gilts. Journal of Animal Science E-2011-4227 accepted 17 November 2011, in press doi: 10.2527/jas.2011-4227.  [ERA Rank A*, impact factor 2.102]
J36	KL Gatford*, CG Grupen*, RG Campbell, BJ Luxford, RJ Smits, MB Nottle 2010 Reproductive responses to daily injections with porcine somatotropin before mating in gilts. Journal of Reproduction and Development 56(5):540-545 [ERA Rank B, Impact factor 1.697]
J35	GC Micke, TM Sullivan, KL Gatford, JA Owens, VEA Perry 2010 Nutrient intake in the bovine during early- and mid-gestation causes sex-specific changes in progeny plasma IGF-I, liveweight, height and carcass traits. Animal Reproduction Science 121: 208-217 [ERA Rank A, Impact factor 2.636, cites 1]
J34	MJ De Blasio, D Blache, KL Gatford, JS Robinson, JA Owens 2010 Placental restriction increases adipose leptin gene expression and plasma leptin and alters their relationship to feeding activity in the young lamb. Pediatric Research 67: 603-608. [ERA Rank A, Impact factor 2.636]
J33	KL Gatford, RA Simmons, MJ De Blasio, JS Robinson, JA Owens 2010 Review: Placental programming of postnatal diabetes and impaired insulin action after IUGR. Placenta 31 Suppl:S60-5. Epub 2010 Jan 22. Review. [ERA Rank A, Impact factor 3.238, cites 3]
J32	KL Gatford, RJ Smits, CL Collins, C Argent, MJ De Blasio, CT Roberts, MB Nottle, KL Kind, JA Owens 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: 1365-78. Epub Dec 18 2009.  [ERA Rank A*, impact factor 2.102, cites 1]
J31	KL Gatford, MJ De Blasio, CT Roberts, MB Nottle, KL Kind, WHEJ van Wettere, RJ Smits, JA Owens 2009 Responses to maternal growth hormone or ractopamine during early-mid pregnancy are similar in primiparous and multiparous pregnant pigs. Journal of Endocrinology 203: 143-154 [ERA Rank A, impact factor 2.636, cites 2]
J30	TM Sullivan, GC Micke, N Perkins, GB Martin, CR Wallace, KL Gatford, JA Owens, VEA Perry 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: 3304-3316 [ERA Rank A*, impact factor 2.102, cites 1]
J29	ER Lumbers, M-Y Kim, J Burrell, V Kumarasamathy, AC Boyce, KJ Gibson, KL Gatford, JA Owens 2009 Effects of intrafetal IGF-I on growth of cardiac myocytes in the late gestation fetal sheep  American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism 296: E513-E519 [ERA Rank A, impact factor 4.138, cies 1]
J28	KL Gatford, SNB Mohammad, ML Harland, MJ De Blasio, AL Fowden, JS Robinson, JA Owens 2008 Impaired b-cell function and inadequate compensatory increases in b-cell mass following intrauterine growth restriction in sheep. Endocrinology 149: 5118-5127 [ERA Rank A*, Impact factor 5.236, citations 12]
J27	KL Gatford, JA Owens, S Li, TJM Moss, JP Newnham, JRG Challis, DM Sloboda 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: E170-E178 [ERA Rank A, impact factor 4.456, cites 3]
J26	JA Owens, KL Gatford, MJ De Blasio, LJ Edwards, IC McMillen, AL Fowden 2007 Restriction of placental growth in sheep impairs insulin secretion but not sensitivity before birth. Journal of Physiology 584(3): 935-949 [ERA Rank A*, impact factor 4.352, cites 11]
J25	AC Boyce, KJ Gibson, EM Wintour, I Koukoulas, KL Gatford, JA Owens, ER Lumbers 2007 The kidney is resistant to chronic hypoglycemia in late gestation fetal sheep. Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology 85: 597-605 [ERA Rank B, impact factor 1.522, cites 1]
J24	JA Owens, P Thavaneswaran, MJ De Blasio, IC McMillen, JS Robinson, KL Gatford 2007 Sex-specific effects of placental restriction on components of the metabolic syndrome in young adult sheep. American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism 292: E1879-1889. [ERA Rank A, impact factor 4.456, cites 19]
J23	KL Gatford, PA Dalitz, ML Cock, R Harding, JA Owens 2007 Acute ethanol exposure in pregnant sheep alters the maternal and fetal IGF axes. American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism 292: E494 - E500 [ERA Rank A, impact factor 4.456, cites 7]
J22	KL Gatford, MJ De Blasio, M Dodic, D Horton, KL Kind 2007 Perinatal programming of adult metabolic homeostasis: lessons from experimental studies. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology  573: 157-176 [impact factor 2.020]
J21	MJ De Blasio, KL Gatford, IC McMillen, JS Robinson & JA Owens 2007 Placental restriction of fetal growth increases insulin action, growth and adiposity in the young lamb. Endocrinology 148: 1350-1358 [impact factor 5.313, cites 31]
J20	MJ De Blasio, KL Gatford, JS Robinson, JA Owens 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: R875-R886 [impact factor 3.802, cites 20]
J19	MJ De Blasio, KL Gatford, JS Robinson, JA Owens 2006 Placental restriction alters circulating thyroid hormone in the young lamb postnatally. American Journal of Physiology: Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology 291:R1016-R1024. [impact factor 3.802, cites 9]

Professional Associations

Conference chairing and organisation (2006-present)

Chair, Program Organising Committee:  Endocrine Society of Australia Annual Conferences 2010-2012

Oral session chair: Endocrine Society of Australia Annual Conference, August 2008, Melbourne

SRB/ANZPRA Symposium chair: Society for Reproductive Biology Annual Conference, September 2007, Christchurch

Oral session chair: Endocrine Society of Australia Annual Conference, September 2007, Christchurch

Poster-oral Session chair: Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand Annual Conference, April 2007, Melbourne

Host (as Director): Australian Women in Endocrinology Function and presentation of Travel Awards, 2007-2009

Member Program Organising Committee: Society for Reproductive Biology Annual Conference, September 2007, Christchurch

 

 

Peer review

 

International Grant review:

Auckland Medical Research Foundation Project Grants, 2008 x 1, 2009 x 1

NZ Lottery Board Project Grants, 2008 x 1

Marsden Fund (NZ) Project Grants, 2009 x 1

 

National Grant review:

ARC Discovery Project Grants, 2005 x 2, 2006 x 1, 2007 x 2, 2008 x 1, 2012 x 2

ARC DECRA 2011 x 1, 2012 x 1

ARC Aust Laureate 2011 x 1

NHMRC Project Grants, 2005 x 2, 2007 x 1, 2008 x 1, 2009 x 1, 2010 x 3, 2011 x 5, 2012 x 7

NHMRC Career Development Awards, 2003 x 1

Diabetes Australia Project Grants, 2007 x 1

Australian Women in Endocrinology Travel Awards, 2001-2009

 

State Grant review:

Channel 7 Children’s Research Foundation Project Grants, 2009 x 2, 2012 x 1

 

Intramural Grant review:

University of Adelaide, Faculty of Health Sciences Small Grants 2005, 2006

University of Adelaide, Faculty of Health Sciences FICA Travel Grants, 2010

 

Manuscript review:

American Journal of Physiology since 1999

Animal since 2010

Animal Science since 2001

Animal Production Science since 2012

Archives of Physiology and Biochemistry since 2002

 

Australian Journal of Agricultural Research since 2001

Cells, Tissues, Organs since 2006

Endocrinology since 2003

Growth Hormone and IGF Research since 2009

Hormone Research in Paediatrics since 2009

Journal of Animal Science since 2002

Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy since 2008

Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism since 2008

Journal of Endocrinology since 2004

Journal of Maternal, Fetal and Neonatal Medicine since 2005

Journal of Physiology since 2008

Molecular & Cellular Endocrinology since 2009

Pediatric Research since 2005

Placenta since 2010

PLos One since 2012

Physiological Genomics since 2005

Reproduction, Fertility and Development since 2001

Theriogenology since 2008

Service to University:

·       University of Adelaide Animal Ethics Committee, category “B” active researcher member

2008 – present

State Government review:

·       External Review Committee member (Department of Environment and Heritage, SA Government), for biannual external review of the IMVS Animal Ethics Committee

April 2010

Entry last updated: Friday, 21 Sep 2012