James Cuffe

Dr. James Cuffe is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biomedical Sciences within the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Queensland. He earned his Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science (Honours Advanced), and Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Queensland, completing his PhD in 2012 with a thesis entitled 'The effects of maternal glucocorticoid exposure on the developing placenta'. As head of the Cuffe Group in placental endocrinology, Dr. Cuffe is a systems physiologist investigating the complex physiological changes in maternal adaptations during pregnancy and the consequences of placental dysfunction for programmed cardiovascular, metabolic, and renal diseases in offspring. His research emphasizes the placenta's hormonal regulation of maternal and fetal health, particularly the influences of maternal stress, thyroid dysfunction, hypoxia, nutritional alterations, and treatments like metformin on placental development and long-term outcomes.

The Cuffe laboratory uses clinically relevant animal models, human placental samples, and cell cultures to study disorders such as gestational diabetes mellitus, preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, preterm birth, and stillbirth. Ongoing projects address metformin's impact on placental function, vitamin B12 deficiency and gestational diabetes risk, thyroid antibodies' role in poor pregnancy outcomes, and micronutrient status in Queensland women. Dr. Cuffe has authored 111 works, including 80 journal articles and one book chapter, with highly influential publications like 'Programming of maternal and offspring disease: impact of growth restriction, fetal sex and transmission across generations' (The Journal of Physiology, 2016), 'Let’s talk about placental sex, baby: understanding mechanisms that drive female-and male-specific fetal growth and developmental outcomes' (International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2021), 'Placental derived biomarkers of pregnancy disorders' (Placenta, 2017), and 'Mid-to late term hypoxia in the mouse alters placental morphology, glucocorticoid regulatory pathways and nutrient transporters in a sex-specific manner' (The Journal of Physiology, 2014). He supervises honours and PhD students, fostering collaborations to advance understanding of sex-specific fetal programming and maternal health interventions. Dr. Cuffe maintains an exceptional track record in reproductive physiology research.