CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AND PREGNANCY RESEARCH COLLABORATIVE (CDPRC)

About us

The Oxford Cardiovascular Disease and Pregnancy Research Collaborative (CDPRC) was established in 2021. Our collaboration brings together specialists in cellular work, imaging, clinical trials and engineering across cardiovascular medicine, maternal & women’s health, fetal medicine, and global population health. Our aim is to facilitate innovative, cross-disciplinary thinking about the reasons cardiovascular diseases that emerge during pregnancy are linked with those that occur later in life and use these insights to identify new management approaches that benefit patients with cardiovascular diseases during pregnancy and throughout their life course.

Research groups involved in the collaboration make use of imaging and laboratory studies to identify early cardiac and vascular changes during the life of women and their children, particularly following a hypertensive pregnancy. Further work includes addressing the pathogenesis of women’s cardiovascular health disorders through genomic, molecular and environmental epidemiology research methods and focussing on improving the experience of patients by utilising big data to develop digital health interventions.

RESEARCH THEMES

Cellular and Basic Science We want to understand how changes in the systemic circulation including blood components, hormonal signalling, extracellular vesicles, endothelial cells and placenta are related to the initiation and development of cardiovascular diseases.	Observational Imaging Studies We use multimodality imaging (including echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging, vascular ultrasound and microvascular imaging) to identify the unique differences in cardiac, vascular, and cerebrovascular systems that mothers and their offspring have after pregnancy complications such as hypertensive pregnancy and preterm birth.	Clinical Trials We conduct clinical trials to study the impact of cardiovascular disease in pregnancy and to evaluate the effects of interventions on health outcomes for both mother and child.
Machine Learning We integrate large databases of electronic health records, observational imaging studies, clinical trials, meta-analyses and digital technologies to better understand the determinants and consequences of pregnancy complications and long-term risk of cardiovascular disease, and how to improve quality of care and health outcomes.	Epidemiology We apply epidemiological and quantitative research methods to carefully developed and design studies to understand the global burden and major determinants of cardiovascular diseases related to pregnancy complications.	Applied Research in Public Health  We use a variety of methodologies such as individual-patient meta-analysis, large-scale decentralised clinical trials, and digital health technologies (including using artificial intelligence) to understand cardiovascular risk management during and post pregnancy.

Funders

COLLABORATING DEPARTMENTS AND UNITS

MRC programme grant

A 5 year programme starting in 2022 to generate insights into how disease affects the heart, brain and vasculature, in women and children following a hypertensive pregnancy. Find out more.

Key publications

Endothelial GTPCH (GTP Cyclohydrolase 1) and Tetrahydrobiopterin Regulate Gestational Blood Pressure, Uteroplacental Remodeling, and Fetal Growth. Chuaiphichai S. et al, (2021), Hypertension

Multicenter Cohort Study, With a Nested Randomized Comparison, to Examine the Cardiovascular Impact of Preterm Preeclampsia. McCarthy FP. et al, (2021), Hypertension

Association of Preterm Birth with Myocardial Fibrosis and Diastolic Dysfunction in Young Adulthood. Lewandowski A. et al, (2021), Journal of the American College of Cardiology

Proteomic Signature of Dysfunctional Circulating Endothelial Colony‐Forming Cells of Young Adults. Tan CMJ. et al, (2021), Journal of the American Heart Association

Short-Term Postpartum Blood Pressure Self-Management and Long-Term Blood Pressure Control: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Kitt JA. et al, (2021), Hypertension

Preeclampsia and the Brain-A Long-term View. Kitt J. et al, (2021), JAMA Netw Open, 4

Variations in Cardiovascular Structure, Function, and Geometry in Midlife Associated With a History of Hypertensive Pregnancy. Boardman H. et al, (2020), Hypertension, 75, 1542 – 1550

Ruling out preeclampsia in the next 4 weeks using a soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1/placental growth factor ratio ≤38: secondary analysis of the Interventional Study on Prediction of Preeclampsia/Eclampsia in Women With Suspected Preeclampsia. Cerdeira AS et al. (2021) Am J Obstet Gynecol

Syncytiotrophoblast Extracellular Vesicles From Late-Onset Preeclampsia Placentae Suppress Pro-Inflammatory Immune Response in THP-1 Macrophages. Avoyemi T et al. (2021) Front Immunol.

Randomized Interventional Study on Prediction of Preeclampsia/Eclampsia in Women With Suspected Preeclampsia: INSPIRE. Cerdeira AN et al. (2019) Hypertension

Maternal and perinatal Health Research Collaboration, India (MaatHRI): methodology for establishing a hospital-based research platform in a low and middle income country setting. Nair A et al. F1000Res

Myocardial infarction in pregnancy and postpartum in the UK. Bush N et al. (2013) Eur J Prev Cardiol

Hypertension in pregnancy and risk of coronary heart disease and stroke: A prospective study in a large UK cohort. Canoy D et al. (2016) Int J Cardiol