The biomedical research institute is collaborating with AgResearch scientists to improve animal production and human health.

“Researchers at both these organisations have been at the forefront of a revolution in our understanding of biology,” Professor Gluckman says.

“We now know that the ultimate potential of both animals and humans depends on more than genes alone. It is the subtle interactions between the genes an individual inherits from its parents and its early life environment that determines its growth trajectory, body composition, reproductive potential and adult health.”

The rapid emerging field of developmental epigenetics – the way in which the action of genes is regulated by signals from the environment - has much to offer both human health and pastoral livestock researchers, AgResearch CEO Dr Andrew West says.

“Scientists have shown that a fetus takes cues from its life before birth, such as the availability of nutrients, to predict what its future environment will be and chart a course of development that will fit it for that life. So progeny from dams that are undernourished during pregnancy are likely to be born small, grow slowly and lay down fat rather than lean,” he explains.

Similarly, if a human mother has poor nutrition during pregnancy her baby might predict that future food supplies will be scarce and set its metabolism to store and conserve fat. But if that prediction is incorrect and high energy food is abundant, the infant’s metabolism will already be wired for adult obesity and related conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.