Axis director: Serge McGraw and Bernard Robaire

The future of children and future generations is influenced from the moment of conception by the health of the parents and gametes, the intra-uterine environment and the conditions surrounding birth and the first months of life. By studying periconceptional and perinatal determinants in a cross-sectoral way, our axis will contribute to defining the mechanisms behind health and developmental trajectories, by identifying the interactions between genes, lifestyle habits and the built and social environment.

Objectives :
1) better understand and prevent the environmental, age-related, genetic and epigenetic causes of infertility, MMS, neonatal complications and intergenerational transmission of disease;
2) use artificial intelligence (AI), in particular machine learning, to identify the factors contributing to successful treatment of these conditions;
3) develop new medical technologies and personalized medicine approaches using high-throughput genomics and AI to reduce and treat these conditions;
4) by examining the socio-cultural, ethical and legal factors impacting reproductive, maternal and neonatal health and equitable access to care, we will develop public health strategies focused on intervention and prevention to promote sustainable health in Quebec.