The Research Centre for the Early Origins of Health and Disease (EOHaD) is a leader in the investigation of the intergenerational and perinatal origins of metabolic, cardiovascular, neurological and reproductive health in postnatal life.
The Centre's membership spans disciplines from public health and epidemiology to molecular biology and epigenetics and includes research groups at the University of Adelaide and their collaborators at external organisations in Australia and overseas.
Major activities revolve around defining how the early environment before and after birth affects development and health in childhood and later life, specifically including:
- the role of maternal nutrition in affecting respiratory health and allergic disease, including asthma in children
- the impact of prematurity on motor control, cognition and other neurological functions in childhood and older age,
and development of novel therapies to rehabilitate impaired motor function after poor early development or in brain injury - maternal and fetal treatments with growth promoting peptides, including growth hormone, to improve placental function and fetal growth and survival.
