| What will we do?
Firstly, give iron supplements to pregnant women and measure the effect it has. We will use amounts
already in clinical use, so there is no risk of iron overload to the mother or her baby, and we will use
mathematical models to extend data from our safe levels to calculate levels where risk may begin to
become evident.
We have a very clever approach to understanding how iron supplements affect the gut. We can
measure the effect directly using tubes passed into the intestine, or in patients who have ileostomas.
These patients and volunteers will not be pregnant but the data can be extended to pregnant mothers.
Secondly, we will study how the supplements affect tissue and organ function. Do we improve the
mother's heart or liver function, for example? We can't test this in humans, clearly, so we have to use
animal models. The data will be very important in working out whether there are changes in organs that
we cannot measure in the humans, and are essential in verifying what levels are safe.
Thirdly, we will examine the genes involved by using cells in culture. These systems have advantages
over animals, and we will use them whenever possible, but they also have limitations. We will, of course
be diligent in ensuring all data is collated to minimise animal usage. | |
