Medical Research

What are your research interests?

• The role of the placental renin-angiotensin (hormone) system in formation of the placenta.
• Factors regulating the expression of the placental renin-angiotensin system.
• The decidual renin-angiotensin system and its role in preterm birth.
• Tissue renin-angiotensin systems and cancer.
• Maternal health and pregnancy outcome in Indigenous Australians

Why did you get into research?

Medicine cannot advance unless there is strategic basic research; it underpins all major advances in human health. As a medical graduate I was frustrated at the lack of knowledge in treating disease. Over the years I have seen many great advances in health care but many problems still exist.
Working to improve our knowledge of placental development and function, to better understand factors underlying preterm birth and the impact of maternal health on pregnancy outcome, will help to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous morbidity and mortality; a major problem in Australian health.

What would be the ultimate goal for your research?

I want to show that;

• Maternal levels of prorenin, soluble prorenin receptor are biomarkers of pregnancy outcome
• The decidual-amniotic renin-angiotensin system plays a role in maintaining integrity of the fetal membranes and hence in preterm birth.
• Drugs that block the activity of the prorenin receptor and/or tissue renin angiotensin systems are effective anticancer drugs.
• That early screening of  pregnant Indigenous women for diabetes and renal dysfunction will lead to better pregnancy outcomes.

Future Focus

I aim to continue to improve pregnancy outcomes particularly for Indigenous Australians and to provide new effective safe adjuncts for treatment of cancer by proving that widely used antihypertensive drugs are effective anticancer agents.

Brief Profile

Emeritus Professor Eugenie Lumbers AM, FAA, Dist FRSN gained a national and international profile for her early discovery of an inactive form of renin (prorenin) that is activated by proteolysis and the prorenin receptor. She studied the role(s) of the renin-angiotensin system in human pregnancy and in oral contraceptive induced hypertension.

She has also studied foetal programming, particularly the impact of maternal renal dysfunction on fetal renal development. In 2008 Emeritus Professor Lumbers began work on the role(s) of the human intrauterine renin angiotensin system (RAS). In partnership with Dr Kirsty Pringle, she has developed a productive research team at University of Newcastle.

Specialised/Technical Skills

• Our team has expertise in placental explants
• Cell lines
• Immunohistochemistry
• Real-time PCR and transfection 

Affiliations

• PRC reproductive biology,
• Honorary adjunct professor University of Queensland,
• Emeritus Scientia Professor UNSW

Other

Eugenie Lumbers has written a children's book titled "Mystery in Mer". Purchase a copy online today. 50% of all proceeds will support life changing medical research at HMRI.