Josca Schoonejans, PhD
@jmschoonejans.bsky.social
250 followers 310 following 29 posts
Interested in adipose tissue, metabolic disorders of pregnancy & developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) | Imperial College London | UK, NL | Imperial College Research Fellow at the MRC-LMS
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jmschoonejans.bsky.social
New(ish) on here, so a brief introduction!
My scientific background is in obesity, white adipose tissue (WAT) biology, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and therapeutic interventions in pregnancy (especially offspring effects). Here's an overview:
<em>Diabetic Medicine</em> | Diabetes UK Journal | Wiley Online Library
The obesity epidemic has led to more women entering pregnancy overweight or obese. In addition to adverse short-term outcomes, maternal obesity and/or gestational diabetes predispose offspring to dev...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
jmschoonejans.bsky.social
See our paper here
jmschoonejans.bsky.social
Recently I moved from offspring to maternal health, studying the role of bile acids in pathogenesis of human GDM. I found serum bile acids are associated with insulin resistance, and increased in GDM in European (but not in South Asian) women: obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
OBGYN
Objective Investigation of serum bile acid profiles in pregnancies complicated by gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in a multi-ethnic cohort of women who are lean or obese. Design Prospective co.....
obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
jmschoonejans.bsky.social
Interesting! This work shows greater contribution of liver insulin resistance in Nordic vs South Asian women with past GDM - consistent with our finding that serum bile acids (correlating with HOMA-IR, reflecting hepatic insulin sensitivity) were increased in European but not SA women with #GDM
diabetologiajnl.bsky.social
South Asian women showed distinct tissue-specific insulin resistance vs Nordic women, with more pronounced adipose tissue insulin resistance. Insights from a two-step clamp with glucose tracer. #Diabetes #OUS #UiO
link.springer.com/article/10.1... 🔓
Differences in tissue-specific insulin resistance between South Asian and Nordic women with prediabetes after gestational diabetes - Diabetologia
Aims/hypothesis The aim of this work was to investigate tissue-specific insulin resistance in South Asian and Nordic women with previous gestational diabetes mellitus (pGDM) and to evaluate potential ethnic differences contributing to type 2 diabetes risk. Methods A cross-sectional study using a two-step hyperinsulinaemic–euglycaemic clamp with a glucose tracer was conducted to assess insulin sensitivity in muscle, liver and adipose tissue in 19 South Asian and 16 Nordic women with pGDM and prediabetes (impaired glucose tolerance and/or impaired fasting glucose), along with 16 ethnicity-specific control women. We assessed inflammation and mitochondrial genes by mRNA sequencing of adipose tissue. Results Both South Asian and Nordic women with pGDM showed reduced total glucose disposal (mainly due to muscle insulin resistance) and hyperinsulinaemia compared with the control group. Endogenous glucose production (mainly due to hepatic insulin resistance) was elevated in Nordics with pGDM, while South Asians with pGDM showed pronounced adipose tissue insulin resistance (reduced suppression of glycerol during clamp). mRNA sequencing of adipose tissue indicated increased tissue inflammation in South Asian women compared with Nordic women with pGDM. Furthermore, we observed a differential response to hyperinsulinaemia in South Asians vs Nordics related to mitochondrial mRNA, such as thymidine kinase 2 (TK2). Correlations between adiposity markers and insulin sensitivity also differed by ethnicity, suggesting that the pathways leading to type 2 diabetes may vary across populations. Conclusions/interpretation South Asian and Nordic women with pGDM exhibited differences in insulin resistance profiles, with South Asians showing greater adipose tissue insulin resistance and inflammation. Graphical Abstract
link.springer.com
Reposted by Josca Schoonejans, PhD
jphysiol.bsky.social
Clare M. Reynolds of ucddublin.bsky.social offers this #Perspective on cardiovascular trade-offs of metformin use in pregnancy based on research by Schoonejans et al. (2025)✍️

🔗 physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1113/...
Reposted by Josca Schoonejans, PhD
jphysiol.bsky.social
🎓 EDITOR'S CHOICE 🎓
Schoonejans and colleagues now show that when female mice are given metformin in addition to an obesogenic diet during #pregnancy, their offspring display various adverse impacts on #cardiovascular health in a sex-specific manner.
📜 physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1113/...
jmschoonejans.bsky.social
My poster looking at cardiovascular effects of prenatal #metformin exposure is up #DOHaD2025 (PS3.002)! Come by during the session this morning or find me during the day 🐭🫀🤰

Again, thanks to @physoc.bsky.social & @socendocrinology.bsky.social for making it possible to travel to Argentina!
jmschoonejans.bsky.social
My first poster is up today at
#DOHaD2025! Come by poster PS1.006 to chat about paternal influences on offspring fat and energy balance 🐁

Huge thanks to @socendocrinology.bsky.social
& @physoc.bsky.social for the travel grants that made presenting here possible!
jmschoonejans.bsky.social
🌟 We made the cover🌟

Our image of a female aorta exposed to #metformin in utero is on the cover of @jphysiol.bsky.social. The paper was also the Editor's Choice!

Interested? I'm presenting this next Wednesday at #DOHAD2025 in Buenos Aires (PS3.002). Come say hi or connect on here! #DOHaD
jmschoonejans.bsky.social
New paper alert! We found that serum #bile #acids were increased in women from the HAPO study diagnosed with #GDM based on fasting glucose, confirming our previous findings in another European cohort tinyurl.com/BAinGDM @bjog.bsky.social
OBGYN
Click on the article title to read more.
tinyurl.com
jmschoonejans.bsky.social
I was very glad to present my @tommyscharity.bsky.social -funded work on #bile #acids in #preterm #labour today at the IRDB internal work in progress seminar. Thanks for the invite and for all the interesting questions ! @imperialmdr.bsky.social
jmschoonejans.bsky.social
New paper update! bsky.app/profile/jmsc...
jmschoonejans.bsky.social
Our new paper showing sex-specific adverse #cardiovascular outcomes of prenatal #metformin exposure in a mouse model of diet-induced glucose intolerance is out now in @jphysiol.bsky.social ! 🐁❤️ ♂️♀ Find it here shorturl.at/VKqjD (in collab with @ozannelab.bsky.social & Giussani labs) #DOHaD
jmschoonejans.bsky.social
jmschoonejans.bsky.social
Our new paper showing sex-specific adverse #cardiovascular outcomes of prenatal #metformin exposure in a mouse model of diet-induced glucose intolerance is out now in @jphysiol.bsky.social ! 🐁❤️ ♂️♀ Find it here shorturl.at/VKqjD (in collab with @ozannelab.bsky.social & Giussani labs) #DOHaD
jmschoonejans.bsky.social
"Treated Mothers, Troubled Hearts: Cardiovascular Trade-Offs of #Metformin Use in #Pregnancy", a title that reflects the difficult considerations of the metformin debate. A great Perspective on our recently published work!
physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
@jphysiol.bsky.social
physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
jmschoonejans.bsky.social
This highlights the need for long-term cardiovascular follow up in offspring (of both sexes!) from human metformin-treated pregnancies to inform decisions about its use in pregnancy - a tricky question that requires balancing mum and baby's health 👩‍🍼
jmschoonejans.bsky.social
Offspring of obese mice had hypertension and diastolic dysfunction by 12mo. Maternal #metformin worsened the phenotype and introduced sex-dependent CV alterations in both male (cardiac stiffening, vascular dysfunction) & female (obesity-induced hypertension) offspring.
jmschoonejans.bsky.social
Our new paper showing sex-specific adverse #cardiovascular outcomes of prenatal #metformin exposure in a mouse model of diet-induced glucose intolerance is out now in @jphysiol.bsky.social ! 🐁❤️ ♂️♀ Find it here shorturl.at/VKqjD (in collab with @ozannelab.bsky.social & Giussani labs) #DOHaD
jmschoonejans.bsky.social
Career development update / an example of an exciting project announced this month! bsky.app/profile/jmsc...
jmschoonejans.bsky.social
I'm thrilled to finally announce that I have been awarded an Imperial College Research Fellowship! I am excited to join @mrc-lms.bsky.social later in 2025 to study novel treatments for gestational diabetes and start my career as an independent researcher🥂 @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social #GDM #DOHaD
jmschoonejans.bsky.social
Two posters from the group today! I'm showing #paternal #programming of sWAT in male offspring of hypercholanaemic dads (3022); Madeleine reports on the impact of HFD & intermittent cold exposure on adipose tissue/liver in a mouse #MASLD model (3013) @keystonesymposia.bsky.social #KSObesity25 #DOHaD
jmschoonejans.bsky.social
Alice is representing the Williamson group today with her poster 2029 on how #maternal #obesity and hyperglycemia is associated with reduced neonatal brown adipose tissue response to #cold exposure! Come have a look! @keystonesymposia.bsky.social #KSObesity25 #BAT #DOHaD
jmschoonejans.bsky.social
The sun was out on the mountain today while we snowshoed all the way from Alberta to British Columbia! A glorious welcome to Banff, ready for @keystonesymposia.bsky.social #KSObesity25 tomorrow!
jmschoonejans.bsky.social
I'm thrilled to finally announce that I have been awarded an Imperial College Research Fellowship! I am excited to join @mrc-lms.bsky.social later in 2025 to study novel treatments for gestational diabetes and start my career as an independent researcher🥂 @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social #GDM #DOHaD