Dr Evangeline Lovell

My research focuses on how immune, vascular and environmental factors influence placental function and maternal–offspring cardiometabolic health. During my PhD, I investigated how maternal immune mediators, particularly regulatory T cells and complement component C1q, regulate uteroplacental vascular remodelling in mouse models. This work examined the mechanisms required for healthy placental development and how disrupted immune–vascular interactions may contribute to pregnancy complications and long-term cardiometabolic effects in mothers and offspring. I am now extending this mechanistic work into human pregnancy through a Wellcome-funded project investigating the effects of environmental heat stress on placental function in a cohort of women in The Gambia. 

This research combines placental and maternal blood analyses with placental histology, vascular assessment and molecular profiling to investigate how heat exposure affects placental structure and function. These laboratory findings are integrated with maternal physiological data from wearable devices, uteroplacental blood-flow measurements obtained using Doppler ultrasound, and detailed pregnancy and neonatal outcomes. 

I also use in vitro trophoblast models and quantitative modelling approaches to explore the causal pathways linking environmental stress, placental insufficiency and adverse birth outcomes. This will assist in our understanding of how maternal immune regulation, vascular adaptation and environmental stress interact to influence pregnancy health and cardiometabolic risk across generations, particularly in climate-vulnerable populations.