Predicting fetal growth early in pregnancy with non-invasive MRI: Validation in a preclinical model with a focus on the lung

About this project

Improve outcomes for babies experiencing fetal growth restriction

If you are motivated to launch your career in biomedicine and keen to address real-world issues around fetal growth restriction, the University of South Australia – Australia’s University of Enterprise – is offering a hands-on project-based PhD within Health and Biomedical Innovation (HBI), in partnership with Sick Kids Hospital, Canada and University College London and Kings College London, UK.

Nearly 50% of all pregnancies complicated by fetal growth restriction (FGR) go undetected until after birth, despite improvements in obstetric imaging and management. If FGR is detected, to avoid stillbirth many babies are delivered preterm and may face poor outcomes associated with immature organs. These babies are at increased risk of respiratory distress syndrome because development is disturbed. 

Early diagnosis of FGR and the ability to predict abnormal fetal oxygenation later in gestation would improve outcomes for these babies not only during pregnancy and the neonatal period but also throughout life. Currently, there are no methods of diagnosing early second trimester placental dysfunction. 

We urgently need to develop safe diagnostic tests of fetal growth and lung development. Our project will use Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the placenta and fetus to comprehensively model and measure markers of placental maturation, growth and function in FGR. 

MRI is safe and can image the whole fetus and lung throughout pregnancy, providing rich information that complements existing ultrasound imaging data. 

We hypothesise that using MRI in early gestation will allow us to predict fetal growth several weeks later and correlate with gene and protein expression of molecular markers of the regulation of lung development in late gestation.

You will be based within the renowned HBI research centre. You will have access to an established laboratory and receive training using worldclass equipment, including realtime PCR, Western blotting, LC-MS/MS, and histology. 

You will have the unique experience of working with human placenta samples while also gaining experience with a large animal model of pregnancy. No other facility in Australia allows access to surgical theatres, long-term animal housing, CT and MRI facilities. 

You will also have access to an extensive BioBank of fixed and frozen tissue with extensive clinical records and in vivo physiological data to support their studies. 

You will become part of a vibrant and supportive cohort who meet weekly to share information, provide constructive feedback and prepare for presentations. 

What you’ll do

In this project-based research degree, you will conduct both desk and lab research. You will participate in fetal surgery, postoperative care, blood pressure studies and tissue collection. You will also perform histology to quantitate neurons in the fetal brain, analyse MRI data of the brain and undertake data analysis using Excel and Prism. 

There will opportunities to use real-time PRC and Western blotting to study gene and protein expression in brain regions as well as immunohistochemistry. LC/MS-MS assays will be used to measure fetal plasma hormones involved in fetal metabolism and metabolic molecules in different brain regions. 

We will encourage and support you to discuss your research with our national and international collaborators and, if appropriate, travel to collaborator laboratories in Australia or overseas. Similarly, there are opportunities for you to attend national and international conferences and symposiums, increasing your exposure to the research community and providing a platform from which to grow your professional network. 

Upon project completion, you will have a range of transferable skills, including project management, working independently and with a team, communicating effectively with scientists from a range of disciplines (fetal physiology, pharmacology, pharmaceutical sciences, endocrinology), performing experimental work, and writing for science. 

Where you’ll be based

You will be based within Health and Biomedical Innovation (HBI) leads research into the workings of the body and its interaction with its surrounding environment. We address fundamental questions about how the body and its environment work together, that informs our knowledge of the human body, in both health and disease. Financial Support 

This project is funded for reasonable research expenses. Additionally, a living allowance scholarship of $35,200 (2025 rate) per annum is available to eligible applicants. Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander applicants will be eligible to receive an increased stipend rate of $52,352 (2025 rate) per annum. A fee-offset or waiver for the standard term of the program is also included. For full terms and benefits of the scholarship please refer to our scholarship information for domestic students or international students.

Eligibility and Selection 

This project is open to applications from both Domestic and International applicants.

Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria for entrance into a Master of Research or a PhD. All applications that meet the eligibility and selection criteria will be considered for this project. A merit selection process will be used to determine the successful candidate.

The successful applicant is expected to study full-time and to be based at our City West Campus in the heart of Adelaide. Note that international students on a student visa will need to study full-time.

Essential Dates 

Applicants are expected to start in a timely fashion upon receipt of an offer. Extended deferral periods are not available. Applications close on Monday 25 November 2024.