Dr. Pamela Kling Receives UW Graduate School Award

Pamela Kling
Pamela Kling, MD

Pamela Kling, MD, recently received an award of over $34,000 from the UW Graduate School for her project, “Regulating Placental Iron Transfer in Fetal Growth Restriction.” This project will examine the role of NO signaling in sheep placentofetal iron metabolism in a progressive uterine space restriction model from 120 to 130 days gestation (term 147 days). Proper placental nutrient delivery is necessary for optimal fetal growth and development. Humans and animals with fetal growth restriction exhibit severely disrupted fetal kidney development, with lower total nephron numbers, leading to a chain of events including the pathophysiological process called hyperfiltration (with remaining nephrons being overworked) and ultimately hypertension as an adult. Thus, understanding the precise mechanisms by which fetal renal development is disrupted will help to explain fetal adaptations leading to the developmental origins of adult disease.