WCVM Next Gen Scientists
Welcome to WCVM Next Gen Scientists, where we share the stories behind the science.
Hosted by Cat Zens and Lucas Horsman, the podcast dives into the research and experiences of University of Saskatchewan graduate students based at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine.
WCVM Next Gen Scientists
Preventing preterm labour
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Cat and Lucas sit down with #WCVM-based USask master's student Brook McKenna to discuss how her research could help scientists better understand, detect and even prevent preterm labour, a reproductive health issue that affects approximately eight per cent of births in Canada.
Having a premature baby is very expensive to our healthcare system. The bill is very expensive for our taxpaying dollars. And if we were able to limit or lower the amount of preterm births happening, this would allow for those doctors to also be able to work on different patients and overall health distress of our healthcare system.
SPEAKER_01That's
Introduction
SPEAKER_01Brooke McKenna, a University of Saskatchewan master's student based in the Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences here at the WCVM. Under the supervision of Dr. Daniel McPhee, she's investigating the cellular mechanisms that can help us better understand, detect, or even prevent preterm labor, which is a reproductive health issue that affects about 8% of Canadian births as of 2023. This research is critical for women, especially those with limited access to medical care. I'm Kat Zens.
SPEAKER_00And I'm Lucas Horsman.
SPEAKER_01And this is WCVM Next Gen Scientist, the podcast where we explore the research and lives of University of Saskatchewan graduate students based at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. As we gather here today, we acknowledge that we are on Treaty 6 territory and the homeland of the Metis. We pay our respect to the First Nations and Metis ancestors of this place and reaffirm our relationship with one another. Master student Brooke McKenna joins us today, and she will share more about how her research is helping us better understand potential ways of preventing preterm labor. Welcome to the podcast, Brooke. Hi, it's a pleasure to be here. It's a pleasure to have you. So would you like to start by introducing yourself to us? Yeah, of course.
SPEAKER_02So my name is Brooke. Um I am originally from Calgary, Alberta, and my undergrad institution was Mount Royal University, and I did a Bachelor of Science in Biology from there. I really love skiing. Unfortunately, you really can't do that here because it's so flat. So when I go back home, you can find me in Banff quite a bit. I also like hiking and going to the gym and reading. And then overall, my research really focuses at the bigger idea of preterm birth and pregnancy in females. But specifically, I'm doing cellular research, so I'm using cells and kind of looking at more specific aspects of that pathway.
SPEAKER_01Amazing. So you work on preterm labor. Can you tell us more about what exactly that is and how it affects the mother and her baby?
SPEAKER_02So preterm
What is preterm labour?
SPEAKER_02labor is defined as any birth before 37 weeks of pregnancy. So a typical pregnancy is hopefully at 40 weeks. So anything before 37 weeks is preterm. Overall, it doesn't necessarily affect the mother's overall health the same way as it would the baby. Might just more cause some stress and then potential pregnancy issues in the future. So a mom who has had preterm birth is more likely for her next few pregnancies if she decides to have a kid. Those kids more are more likely to be born preterm. The baby is the one we really look out for within this research. So the baby itself, if it is born very preterm, it may not even survive after a few hours or even minutes outside the womb just because it isn't fully developed. However, the closer you get to that 40 weeks, the higher chance of survival is. There can also be some developmental delays, such as learning disabilities or issues with walking, talking, basic milestones, and of course, overall health issues such as heart issues, eye like seeing, and even gut issues, just not having a proper digestion track.
SPEAKER_01So we know that roughly eight out of a hundred babies born in Canada are considered preterm. So what factors might be contributing to that statistic?
SPEAKER_02In Canada, it is increasing
Preterm birth statistics
SPEAKER_02as well as around the world. Um, there is a lot of reasoning for this. Some might make the argument that because we are reporting more, that could be the potential case. However, normally we look at statistics from the early 2000s and we know in the early 2000s they were properly reporting things. The more likely cause of this is just due to age. Women are getting older and older as they're getting their first pregnancies. The average age is increasing. It used to be early 20s. Now it's approaching late 20s to early 30s. So the age is a huge correlation. Our lifestyles are really different. Um, mothers now aren't stay-at-home moms or wives. They are working very high stressful careers, and that stress could play a huge role. There's also just more cases of overall health issues, diabetes, blood pressure, obesity, those could all as well be playing a role. Um, but overall, there isn't like one key aspect that makes someone have their baby preterm. The biggest reason believed by OBGYNs is the age, but also if you have had a preterm birth before.
SPEAKER_01That brings us into your research. So, where does your research fit into this bigger picture? Can you give us an overview of your project?
SPEAKER_02We
Research overview
SPEAKER_02are looking at a way to stop or dampen a specific pathway that we believe could be a potential mechanism or play a potential role in preterm labor, but we are unsure whether or not this is a reasoning for preterm labor. Um, larger studies have been done detecting this protein in maternal blood throughout pregnancy. And there has been correlation that this protein does increase during times of labor. So we are hopeful that this is a mechanism that we are able to stop.
SPEAKER_01Can you like walk us through exactly what that um what you're trying to stop is? So that's called the small heat shock protein, correct? Yeah, the small heat shock protein. So what exactly is that protein and why are you so interested in that?
SPEAKER_02The heat shock protein or small heat shock proteins, they are proteins found in basically every single cell found in humans so far. And we are looking at small heat shock protein one, and there's 11 of the small heat shock proteins. So we're looking at HSPB1 for short. This protein initially was discovered due to heat stress. So these cells were introduced to heat, and then these proteins were activated. But a better name for these would actually be stress proteins because they activate in times of stress, and labor itself is a very stressful event, and even pregnancy. Uh, this is because there's it's multi-faucet. So there's a huge immune system role in this. And the immune system in the beginning of pregnancy is super hyperactive, but throughout the middle parts of pregnancy, where most of the development happens, the immune system is non-existent. Well, it's it exists, but it's very stampin', it's not being activated because activation would cause the baby to be expelled. Uh, and then the last part or labor is when the immune system is really hyperactive. So the immune system can play a role in activating these heat shock proteins. And then, as well, the other part is the stretch of the uterus, is another mechanism in which we believe that they can activate it. So we are interested because it can be activated by two different pathways. And these two different pathways have been explored in other cells. And we specifically are looking at the heat shock proteins found in the myometrium or the middle muscular layer of the uterus. And the uterus is composed of three distinct layers, kind of like a cake. So the outermost layer, this is the layer that would face the abdominal cavity, is a protective layer. So it protects the uterus from any like harm, but also just protects it from the outer organs. Uh, the innermost layer is the endometrium, so that's the actual like layer inside. And this is the layer that sheds during menstruation. And then this is the layer that, as well, during pregnancy, the embryo will actually implant in this innermost layer. And then the middle layer, myometrium, those are made up of your muscle cells, known as myometrial myocytes. These muscle cells are smooth muscle cells, so they don't, we can't control it. Unlike your skeletal muscle, it is controlled by your nervous system. And these cells, when activated, will allow for the contraction of the uterus. And each of these cells, they're kind of connected. So they contract as one unit instead of millions of cells contracting individually. So we are looking at the small heat shock proteins within these myometrial cells because they get activated, then it will cause contraction, which is what labor is.
SPEAKER_01So it's that middle layer of the uterus. That's the main um thing we're looking at when in regards to preturn labor and muscle contractions.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Because to get baby out, you need to contract. So if there is a way to stop the contractions, that would be great because a baby couldn't get out or the process wouldn't um start because once it gets activated, it's like a cascade, and there's basically nothing you can do once you're in like full-blown labor.
SPEAKER_01What have you discovered so far in your research?
SPEAKER_02So,
Biggest discoveries
SPEAKER_02as I mentioned, we're looking at a way to block the activation of our small heat shock proteins. So the small heat shock proteins has two phosphorylation sites. And you may be asking, what is phosphorylation? Phosphorylation is a very fancy way in cellular biology to say activation. So these cells get activated in three different locations, uh, serene 15, serine 78, and serine 82. So these three sites will individually get activated or like tagged, and then that will activate the cell. So we are looking at a way to stop this phosphorylation or tagging happening on either all three or different combinations of those three phosphorylation sites, and we're doing it by two different methods. So the first method is using a peptide and it is a competitive inhibitor, meaning it will block the phosphorylation found within the cell. And then the other mechanism is an inhibitor, and this also blocks the phosphorylation, but it's less specific because it only can block all three of the phosphorylation sites versus the peptide. We can pick which phosphorylation site it's blocking. So, what are the results so far? Um, the peptide isn't working. We're unable to show whether or not it can actually be blocked. Like we can individually block each phosphorylation site. We've done a bunch of different combinations, bunch of different experiments, and so far we're not getting the results we want. So that is why we switch to this inhibitor. And the inhibitor is working. We're able to block all three of the phosphorylation sites at the same time, which is really awesome. And now we're kind of starting to shift over to what does this mean for the cell? And so we're looking at that right now. However, we want to be able to block each of the individual sites because we're still unsure how each of the different phosphorylation sites play a role. But it just might be all three need to be blocked. We're not sure.
SPEAKER_01So you're you're making so much progress. So what still needs to happen before this kind of work could directly help people?
SPEAKER_02Um, a
Animal models and human models
SPEAKER_02lot. So we would have to use animal models to determine whether or not we're able to stop this preterm labor from occurring. However, the issue with animal models is it doesn't directly translate to humans. Animals are very different than humans, especially because we use rats, and rats are very different from humans. Their animal models are going really good, and animal models have been used within our lab, and it has shown like direct correlation between our heat shock proteins and preterm labor. Uh, then you would go to human models. The only issue with human models is we are dealing with pregnant women. And when there are pregnant women, you also have to worry about babies. So it's really hard doing research within a maternal area just because you have to worry about two lives instead of one. Our lab has looked at human models and it has just literally just been taking blood samples to detect uh heat shock protein levels. That's basically all we've done. Uh, what would be great in an ideal world is maybe not stopping it because that is just a bit too hard to do ethically. Uh, but it would be a great way to do detection. If we were able to detect uh maybe certain level of heat shock proteins within the blood, and if that was a true correlation, then uh women in rural areas or areas that might not have the best health care, um, they could do quick blood tests, a quick test. And then if their heat shock proteins were at a certain level or approaching a certain level, they would be able to move to a bigger city or a bigger hub and get the medical attention they need.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So that kind of leads to my last question. So going into the bigger picture, this research could potentially help um prevent preterm labor from happening. So why does this research matter?
SPEAKER_02This research
Highlighting women's health
SPEAKER_02matters because women's health matters. Um, women's health is a very understudied field of medicine. Uh, it is very well known that initially the biology and all the mechanisms were based off of men, and they believed that it translated directly to a woman. They just thought men, women are smaller men. This isn't the case. We have very different hormones, and these hormones do play a huge role in our day-to-day lives. By we, I mean women. It also is the health of our future generations. Um, it would prevent potentially a lot of deficits within the healthcare system. Having a premature baby is very expensive to our healthcare system. Again, we are very lucky we live in Canada. We do not see that bill, but the bill is very expensive for our taxpaying dollars. And if we were able to limit or lower the amount of preterm births happening, this would allow for those doctors to also be able to work on different patients and overall help the stress of our healthcare system. It again is really important to our underrepresented communities, such as rural and indigenous communities. These communities aren't really represented in healthcare just due to the fact they're not in these major hubs where the research is happening. And it never really like occurred to me that there might not be a hospital in the area you live, and the closest one might be four hours away. And I know in some rural areas, that four-hour away hospital might not even be a hospital you can deliver in, because not all hospitals you can deliver in. So that would allow these women and people, whoever's living in rural areas, they're able to get the proper health care they need. Because that four-hour drive could turn into a six-hour drive. Six hours might be too long to get the proper help you need. So this would just allow for these communities to get the help they actually need and help our future generations.
SPEAKER_01Very well said, Brooke. It's amazing that the work we're doing right here at the college could potentially help women's health worldwide. This is amazing to see. Thanks so much, Brooke.
SPEAKER_00We'd love to learn more about your journey through grad school and what brought you to the University of Saskatchewan. Uh first,
Life as a graduate student
SPEAKER_00what was your undergraduate program?
SPEAKER_02I went to Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta, so M R U, go Cougars. Um, my undergraduate program on my piece of paper that hangs in my house says a bachelor of science in biology, but it doesn't say I did a concentration in human anatomy and physiology. I more so studied human anatomy and physiology, so that is my background. My background is not cellular biology. I was a complete 180.
SPEAKER_00Okay, I see. And uh what inspired you to begin your graduate program in the Department of Veterinary Biomedical Science at the college?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so um a thing about science masters is it's normally not the label or what your piece of paper says is what your research is. My research has nothing to do with animals, has to do with biomedical sciences, but nothing to do with animals. Um so initially I was just looking at reproduction, so specifically human reproduction, and just looking at a bunch of labs within Canada that um was researching this. And this was really um inspired throughout like my undergrad and just a passion for women's health. I um got a contact at the Western University in Ontario, and he did his PhD with Dr. McPhee. And then that contact led me to Dr. McPhee. And that is why I'm here now.
SPEAKER_00Now, what drew you to reproductive science and specifically to preterm labor?
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So reproductive science, I really liked um anything to do with reproduction. Like even in high school, like that part of biology was always fascinating to me. I thought it was just so cool how a sperm and an egg get together and form a baby. That's that's a pretty cool thing that happens. Um and when I was in my last year of undergrad, I took an embryology course. And actually, initially I wanted to do only research in embryology. I just thought embryology was so interesting. I took a human conception course, which then uh talked about IVF, so in vitro fertilization. And I just think it's such an awesome field to be in. It's super new, it's a very new field, and it's kind of feels very cutting edge to be in. And then with preterm labor, it's just kind of fell on my lap. Um, I didn't really have a say in what part of pregnancy I got to research. And pregnant uh preterm labor is cool uh because you kind of get the best of both worlds, you get to focus on the woman's health, but also you get to focus on the health of a baby. And I really like babies, so well, that's an excellent point.
SPEAKER_00Everyone does love babies. Now, I've uh been told that your eventual goal is to attend medical school. How will this research project contribute to your future studies?
SPEAKER_02Aaron Powell So I hope just overall this project has given me a really big understanding in how scientific research works. It is a lot of effort and a lot of work to produce a published paper. It isn't like a week of work and then you get like a published paper. It's months and years of hard work and effort with everyone involved in your lab. So I think that will really change the perspective of when I have to read my peer-reviewed articles. It is a lot of blood, sweat, and tears that go into publishing. And also, I think it's just given me a better idea of what I want to pursue in medicine. I really do want to focus on something with female reproductive health, whether that be in a role as an OBGYN or another form of physician. I think that has just given me a really good entry into that potential residency and an idea or some idea of what life would be like in these roles.
SPEAKER_00What's one key thing you've learned since beginning graduate studies?
SPEAKER_02Um, probably time management. There's a lot of waiting when you do cell research just with incubation time. So I've really learned the importance of time management. And I'm basically doing three or four things at once in a day. And I think time management is an important skill that can get translated out of lab as well.
SPEAKER_00Do you have any advice for students interested in stepping into graduate programs?
SPEAKER_02My biggest advice is do something you want to do that you have a passion for. If you do not have a passion for what you're doing, it is going to be very hard and very grueling. Just because there's very, very long days, there's a lot of reading, there's a lot of writing, like writing the thesis takes months. It's probably 200 pages of writing. So if you do not care about your project or have no passion, it's going to be a very hard two years. You shouldn't do something because you're avoiding something. You should do something because you want to. Some days are hard, but then the next day you just get up and try again.
SPEAKER_01Okay, Brooke. So before we let you go,
Rapid fire questions
SPEAKER_01we're gonna ask you a few rapid fire questions. So, first one, um, what's your favorite song at the moment?
SPEAKER_02Um, probably the most played on my Spotify right now will be Boyband by Five Seconds of Summer. I saw them at Stampede, and that song has been on repeat.
SPEAKER_00What's one thing you do in your spare time to unwind?
SPEAKER_02I'm a really big reader, so I try and finish a few books a week.
SPEAKER_01So I know that you're from Calgary, but is there a specific place around Saskatoon that you like to visit?
SPEAKER_02Uh I really like Delish by Tish. That's like one of my favorite cafes. I love it there.
SPEAKER_00What's your go-to snack on days that you're in the lab?
SPEAKER_02Uh I like muffins. I normally make like a weekly baked good, so right now it's muffins. And finally, what's your favorite part of the cell? Uh I like the mitochondria because to me it looks like a maize bean, and when I tutor, I tell my kids the mitochondria looks like a maize bean.
SPEAKER_00Thanks for joining us, Brooke.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, of course. Thank you so much for having me.
SPEAKER_01Thanks once again to
Conclusion
SPEAKER_01Brooke McKenna, a master's student in the college's Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences. And thank you for listening to WCBM Next Gen Scientists, the podcast where we share the stories behind the science. Want to learn more about the research studies happening inside our veterinary college? Visit our news site at wcbmtoday.usask.ca for all the latest happenings. One of our latest posts is Brooke's own article that includes insights about preterm labor from the viewpoint of a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology.
SPEAKER_00And be sure to follow WCBM today on all your favorite social media platforms, including Facebook, X, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
SPEAKER_01I'm Kat Sands.
SPEAKER_00And I'm Lucas Horsman.
SPEAKER_01And this is WCBM Next Gen Scientist.