Whenever there is a question of the health of unborn children, the role of the mother is systematically considered. But now the influence of the father arouses more and more interest.
For nearly 20 years, Sarah Kimmins, full professor in the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology at the Université de Montréal, has been studying the mechanisms involved in epigenetic inheritance from parents, paying particular attention to the health of men and women. how their lifestyle and environmental factors modify their fertility and the condition of their offspring.
The research team that she recently led at the CHUM Research Center is working to shed light on the role of the sperm epigenome in the development of the embryo and the intergenerational transmission of diseases. The goal: to improve prevention and intervention strategies in men’s health to improve fertility and child health.
“Chromatin changes in sperm before conception, caused by exposure to toxic substances, diet or obesity, are associated with an increased risk of chronic diseases or neurodevelopmental disorders in children . The way people live today will affect the health of future generations,” says Sarah Kimmins.
Translating knowledge into health policy
Is sperm damage repairable? According to his work carried out on an animal model, those linked to diet prove to be reversible. The possibility of modifying the epigenome of men will be the subject of future studies, indicates the expert in epigenetics and hereditary transmission.
For the time being, his team, together with colleagues from abroad, is examining in particular the consequences of exposure to DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) on the epigenome of sperm. This pesticide, which has been used for a long time around the world, is now banned by the World Health Organization for its harmful effects on the health of populations.
“DDT is still allowed in countries like India and South Africa to fight malaria. However, the toxin increases the risk of congenital malformations and alters neurological development. There is also high exposure to the product in northern Canada and Greenland due to ocean currents and weather patterns. Global warming could cause more and more people to be affected. We hope that our research will contribute to the establishment of responsible health policies”, pleads the one who chairs the andrology committee of the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society and is part of an international working group on reproductive health. male.
A new start
Educated at Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, and the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology in Strasbourg, France, Sarah Kimmins held a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair at McGill University before to join the ranks of the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology of the Faculty of Medicine at UdeM.
For her, this change means new colleagues, new ideas and a new environment. “The expertise of reproduction researchers at the Université de Montréal is remarkable and the CHUM is an extraordinary place in terms of translational research thanks to its fertility clinic. It’s the best of both worlds!” she concludes.