Professor Gudrun Moore has made an outstanding, internationally-acclaimed contribution to the molecular genetics of major complications of pregnancy: fetal growth restriction (FGR), pre-eclampsia, miscarriage, and fetal malformation, particularly cleft palate (Nature1987; Nature Genetics 2001;) and most recently the somatic gene mutation for Congenital melanocytic naevi (JID 2013) and Lenz-Majewski syndrome (Nature Genetics 2014). 

She has applied genetic and epigenetic techniques to the study of FGR using Silver Russell syndrome (SRS) as an exemplar. This research approach led to the discovery of maternal uniparental disomy for human chromosome 16 and 7 in placental mosaic 16 pregnancies and SRS respectively (Lancet 1992). By 2000 these findings had been translated into NHS diagnostic tests, antenatally for mosaic 16 pregnancies and postnatally for SRS families. Her finding of limited conservation of genomic imprinting between mice and humans in placental gene expression is another major advance in the reproductive field. (PNAS, 2006). This has demonstrated that studies in humans are vital for a complete picture of the evolutionary consequences of genomic imprinting as it relates to human disease particularly birth weight health outcomes (AJHG 2012). Equally important has been her investigation of the role of biomarkers for pre-eclampsia and recurrent miscarriage (Nature Genetics 2007; JCI 2010). 

Her unique contribution to maternal, fetal and child health will be recognised for years to come through her establishment of the Wellbeing-of-Women-funded “Baby Bio Bank” with Professor Regan (Imperial College London) which opened to researchers November 2013. This national epidemiological and biological resource will facilitate research into complications of pregnancy, enabling development of new diagnostic and therapeutic measures.

She is an inspirational leader and a natural communicator and speaks regularly to lay audiences.  She is currently job sharing as UCL Pro vice Provost (International), directs an UCL MSc in the Genetics of Human Disease and is Chief Scientific Advisor for the Children’s medical charity, Sparks.