Led by Associate Professor Annemarie Hennessy

The Vascular Immunology Group specialises in finding out how high blood pressure damages blood vessels and if this damage leads to heart disease. As part of this they investigate the incidence of preeclampsia, which is the condition that causes high blood pressure in women during pregnancy.

Preeclampsia is the most common medical condition women experience during pregnancy. Often it starts slowly, without warning and quickly escalates, causing the baby to be delivered prematurely, and the mother to be rushed off to Intensive Care.

Women who have suffered high blood pressure during pregnancy have a high risk of developing heart disease in their 50's and 60's.  Preeclampsia may hold the key to unlocking the link between high blood pressure and heart disease in women.
 
The group has discovered that the placenta - or afterbirth - is part of the problem in pregnancy. The placenta actively allows the mothers immune system, heart and blood pressure to adapt to pregnancy. The proteins and hormones produced by the placenta can be measured in the placenta itself as well as in the blood stream.

The group made a world breakthrough by discovering the link between heart function and changes in the production of hormones in the placenta. With the help of volunteers who have suffered from preeclampsia, this discovery will form the basis of studies over the next 3 years, to determine the role of placental hormones in women's heart disease and high blood pressure.

Current Projects

Cytokine abnormalities in Preeclampsia - a loss of maternal tolerance

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents and post-partum hypertension 

Antihypertensives and their effect on placental and vascular functions

Long-term cardiovascular consequences after hypertension in pregnancy