welcome

Welcome to the Son Lab (Nutrigenomics & Perinatal Exercise Biology Laboratory) Homepage!

Our lab is based in the Division of Applied Perinatal Research at the Department of OB/GYN & Reproductive Sciences as well as the Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine.

We explore that exercise and physical activity induce muscle to secrete hormones, so called exerkines, which are beneficial for glucose homeostasis particularly in women with obesity and metabolic diseases. Similarly, maternal exercise stimulates secretion of exerkines from muscle and fat, which exert biological effects on placenta. As a key organ responsible for nutrient delivery and cross-talk between mothers and their fetuses, such change in placenta is expected to have profound impacts on fetal development and exert long-term effects on the metabolic health of future generation.

Our laboratory focuses on the impact of maternal exercise, obesity and other physiological environments on fetal development and offspring health, emphasizing the epigenetic modification linking nutrients/metabolites to stem (progenitor) cell differentiation into myocytes/adipocytes. Ultimately, we aim to translate our work into clinical practice with respect to improving health outcomes for mothers and children affected by obesity and metabolic dysfunction.

Our team consists of physiologists, biomedical scientists and clinicians. We work together in a highly collaborative environment.