On June 30, Carleton University presented Research Achievement Awards to ten Carleton academic staff.
Kristin Connor, associate professor of developmental origins of health and disease in Carleton’s department of health sciences, received an award for her research on finding effective strategies to treat iron deficiencies studying the gut microbiome.
The Charlatan sat down with Connor to learn more about the award and the impact of her research.
The Charlatan (TC): What do you research?
Kristin Connor (KC): My work is a translational research lab. We study everything from fundamental science to clinical science. We use lots of different approaches in our work, from data science to animal models, to human population cohorts. My group’s overarching theme is to understand disease’s early life origins and ultimately improve maternal, child and female health.
TC: Your project, “The gut microbiome,” explores micronutrient deficiencies in connection to understanding why some treatments cannot restore missing nutrients. Why is the issue of micronutrient deficiencies so crucial to you?
KC: Micronutrient deficiencies disproportionately affect women and children, particularly those in the 18 to 45 year range. Women and pregnant people have naturally higher physiological demands for micronutrients, partly because they are required for basic processes related to our physiology, like menstruation.
For example, we lose a lot of iron because menstruating people use a lot of blood. But also, women and children are most affected by poor diets and malnutrition globally. In the context of iron deficiency, it means that about 50 per cent of pregnancies are affected by iron deficiency.
There are some ways to treat these conditions, but they don’t holistically address the problem because they have some unpleasant side effects. There may be some risk of toxicity in rare situations. In a number of the studies, we are looking at new ways to improve female health, maternal health, child health, well-being and nutrition. Targeting pathways that involve nutrients is one key area that we’re focusing on.
TC: Why is it challenging to treat micronutrient deficiencies like iron deficiency and anemia?
KC: We’ve got some really good interventions and treatments, but they’ve only made moderate gains in reducing the prevalence of iron deficiency and anemia. We don’t understand why some treatments work better in some individuals. We are [also] interested in understanding what about female biology leads us to not having as effective treatments, [and make] predictions, for various conditions and diseases.
Women and female animals have traditionally been and continue to be excluded from research. Women are more likely than men to be affected by multiple or specific chronic diseases. Women also experience structural and social determinants of health very differently than men.
It is critically important, especially [concerning] this specific study, to recognize that women are underrepresented and excluded from clinical trials. Pregnant individuals [are] particularly excluded on a routine basis. Many medicines or interventions that can prevent or treat conditions like micronutrient deficiencies are often designed for men, assuming they’ll work the same way in women or children. Still, we know in many cases, they don’t.
TC: As studies continue and researchers learn more about micronutrient deficiencies and those affected, what could a possible solution to this problem look like?
KC: For this particular study, we are testing an at-home fortification system. And it’s been developed by the people behind the Lucky Iron Fish. It’s an amazing fortification system, but this is a novel therapeutic.
Through this, we can overcome barriers that current therapeutics or strategies have. We are also trying to understand the biology of why certain conditions affect certain people and why certain people respond to treatments differently by looking at the gut microbiome.
We know the microbiome is important for determining an individual’s nutrient status and bodily response to therapeutics, drugs and nutrients we ingest. The gut microbiome plays an important role in an individual’s iron status. We [also] want to understand whether and how a person responding to an intervention to reduce the burden of iron deficiency may involve the microbiome. This allows us to understand better the essential biology of the microbiome, the biology and physiology of iron metabolism and production in the individual.
It’ll allow us to gain mechanistic insight [into] how the gut microbiome may play a role in the initiation and progression of iron deficiency, but also [the] treatment of this condition. Depending on what we find, we can identify therapeutic targets that will allow us to prevent iron deficiency.
TC: Your primary field of specialization is the development origin of health and disease. Why did you choose this field and what about it appeals to you?
KC: [It is now known] that the diseases we typically thought of as being emergent in adulthood because of poor diet or lifestyle habits often have their origins early in life. We also know that from various perspectives, whether it’s an economic perspective, a human capital perspective, or a health perspective, intervening early on allows us to have greater benefit and greater impact than intervening later, particularly once a disease or a condition has emerged.
I’ve always been very interested in development and reproduction in pregnancy. This time is important for the lifelong trajectory of an individual’s health and well-being. By studying this early period of life, we can have a great impact on not just the life cycle of that individual but future generations. There’s this longitudinal multi-generational effect and opportunity we have to improve and maintain health and well-being for many people. That’s why I’m so interested in it.
TC: What does receiving this Research Achievement Award mean to you as a researcher?
KC: It shows people are recognizing that the work we’re doing is important. That’s important when [considering] women’s, children’s and infant’s health is often neglected.
I like to coach people in my group. And I stand behind [the idea] that we have to be creative thinkers to solve these tough problems. An award like this recognizes that we’re thinking about these problems in new ways. We can only do that if we ask great and different kinds of questions than we are typically asking. Beyond science, learning how to ask great questions is an important skill. We can only ask these great questions if we have different people and perspectives because we all have our own knowledge base, experiences and assumptions.
The award recognizes all of this evidence that the science we’re doing is important, the populations we’re working with are important and the team we’ve assembled is important.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Featured image courtesy of Kristin Connor.
