Preeclampsia intervention trials
Preeclampsia claims the lives of 70,000 mothers and 500,000 babies worldwide every year. Most of this burden is shoulder...
Biography
Tu'uhevaha co-leads the Translational Obstetrics group alongside Prof Stephen Tong within the research arm of Mercy Perinatal. She leads research programs that span national and international sites, ensuring her work is globally relevant.
Research themes
The focus of Tu’uhevaha and the team’s broader research fits under 3 main themes.
Towards better understanding the pathogenesis of pregnancy complications. To develop new diagnostic tools and better treatments, the first step is to gain a better understanding of how and why pregnancy complications occur. The Translational Obstetrics Group utilise cutting edge technology to study placentas and tease out the intricate mechanisms that contribute to pregnancy complications occurring.
Developing diagnostic/predictive tools for pregnancy complications Prof Kaitu’u-Lino co-leads this large research program focused on developing new blood tests to help identify who is at risk of preeclampsia and to help women avoid stillbirth.
New Treatments for preeclampsia: Working with senior researchers at Mercy Perinatal, Prof Kaitu’u-Lino helped develop a translational pipeline to repurpose drugs to treat preeclampsia. The Translational Obstetrics Group are now focused on developing molecularly targeted therapies that could help reduce the burden of preeclampsia.
Academic achievements
Prof Kaitu’u-Lino has published widely (>145 peer reviewed publications) in many areas including ectopic pregnancy, preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction. She has attracted over $14.5 million dollars in grant funding that has supported the team’s research efforts, including numerous prestigious national fellowships (NHMRC, ARC). She is also a University of Melbourne Dame Kate Campbell fellow.
Prof Kaitu’u-Lino also takes pride in mentoring the next generation of scientists and clinician scientists through undergraduate and HDR supervision.
Contributions to the discipline
Prof Kaitu’u-Lino is a generous contributor to her discipline. She is Deputy Head of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health at the University of Melbourne, and Chair of the Department’s People Development, Welfare and Community committee. She has also contributed to both national and international societies in the Reproductive Biology space. She regularly reviews for national and international funding bodies, scientific societies and impactful medical and scientific journals.