Dr Lara Morley

Profile

I graduated from the University of Leeds in 2010 with a degree in Medicine and an intercalated BSc in Microbiology. My dissertation on placental malaria sparked a lasting interest in placental biology and maternal-fetal health.

I pursued academic medicine through an Academic Foundation post in West Yorkshire, where I studied placental pathology, followed by an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. With support from the Wellcome Trust ISSF, MRC, and RCOG, I completed a PhD in 2021 on placental blood flow sensing and regulation at LICAMM, supervised by Professor David Beech and Mr Nigel Simpson.

Currently, I am completing an NIHR Clinical Lectureship, during which I have supervised PhD, MSc, and intercalated BSc projects and contributed to MBChB teaching. I am a co-investigator on projects funded by Tommy’s as part of the National Centre for Preterm Birth Research and actively engage the public through events like Pint of Science and BeCurious. I was awarded Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy for my contributions to medical education.

Clinically, I am a Subspecialty Trainee in Reproductive Medicine and Surgery at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. I am committed to evidence-based care and have authored Cochrane reviews, a BMJ Best Practice guideline, an RCOG scientific impact paper, and contributed to a World Health Orgnaisation guideline. I have been invited as a speaker to both scientific and public events to present my career, research and clinical topics.

Responsibilities

• Supervisor of PhD, BSc, MSc, ESREP, AFP projects
• Principal Investigator and co-investigator
• Teaching: MBCHB, BSc, MSc curriculums

Research interests

Healthy pregnancy relies on the rich network of blood vessels that supplies the baby with oxygen and nutrients: the placenta. Impaired placental function can result in a variety of gestational disorders, including premature birth, life-threatening high blood pressure (pre-eclampsia) and fetal growth restriction (FGR). FGR can result from poorly functioning blood vessels within the placenta. This is where a baby does not meet its expected weight during pregnancy, and may even stop growing. If this goes undetected, the baby is at risk of stillbirth. In all, 1 in 5 first time mums will be affected by one of these problems.

There are currently no treatments for placental dysfunction other than delivery of the baby - often prematurely. Specialist neonatal care may be required alongside lifelong support for neurodevelopmental delay. Maternal health can also be affected, with pre-eclampsia remaining a significant cause of maternal morbidity and mortality, particularly in the developing world. The financial, societal and emotional burden of placental dysfunction is almost immeasurably high - both in the UK and globally. Being born smaller than expected due to FGR has additional consequences including greater risks of heart disease and diabetes in later life. Poor health in adulthood risks placental dysfunction in the next generation.

There is therefore an urgent need to develop new strategies to break this cycle of impaired growth and improve placental function. My research in Leeds is aimed at understanding the molecular controllers of placental blood flow. Through identifying novel drug targets, we hope to move towards new treatments for FGR.

Qualifications

• MRCOG
• PgCert
• MBCHB
• BSc
• FHEA

Professional memberships

• RCOG
• British Fertility Society
• British Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy

Student education

I teach and mentor students and have taken responsibility for ESREP, EXCEL scholarships and Mres projects. I have spoken at career advice sessions, discussing academic career pathways and training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

Research groups and institutes

• Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine
• Cardiometabolic
• Section of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
• Discovery and Translational Science
• Multidisciplinary Cardiovascular Research Centre