Developmental Origins of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease: Bridging Embryo Kinetics, Genomic Integrity, and Early-life Exposures to Lifelong Health

Early life, particularly the periconceptional and preimplantation period, is a uniquely sensitive developmental window in which genome integrity, chromatin remodeling, and cellular reprogramming intersect with environmental cues, including parental health and nutrition, early-life exposures, and in vitro/ART conditions, to shape lifelong developmental trajectories. This includes early embryogenesis, when subtle perturbations at the earliest stages may influence downstream cardiovascular, metabolic, microvascular, and broader vascular health across the lifespan.This Research Topic will bring together mechanistic and translational studies linking (i) quantitative preimplantation phenotypes (including time-lapse–derived embryo kinetics and morphokinetics and AI-assisted embryo assessment), (ii) gamete/embryo genome and chromatin integrity and early reprogramming fidelity, and (iii) developmental programming outcomes relevant to lifelong vascular health and cardiovascular and metabolic disease risk.We welcome integrative work spanning advanced imaging, multi-omics, embryo and stem-cell–derived models (ESCs/iPSCs/organoids), and relevant animal and human datasets, with an emphasis on reproducible methods, traceable data/metadata, and biologically interpretable connections from early embryonic states to later phenotypes.Final subthemes (non-exhaustive)Embryo kinetics and quantitative preimplantation phenotypingMorphokinetics/time-lapse features; AI-based embryo assessment and predictive models; atypical cleavage behaviors (e.g., reverse cleavage); blastocyst dynamics; standardized annotation and reporting.ART workflow variables and early developmental trajectoriesEffects of laboratory/clinical workflows (e.g., denudation and ICSI timing, culture conditions), as well as operator and center variability, on embryo development, kinetics, and measurable outcomes.Gamete and embryo genomic/chromatin integritySperm chromatin packaging/protamination, DNA fragmentation/repair, imprinting stability, chromatin organization; aneuploidy risk; influence of oxidative stress, parental age, and environmental factors; links to early embryo development.Early reprogramming fidelity and multi-omics signaturesChromatin remodeling and gene-regulatory network establishment; bulk/single-cell multi-omics signatures connecting early states to downstream phenotypes; integration with non-invasive embryo assessment and clinical decision-making.Early-life environmental exposures and developmental programmingMaternal nutritional status during pregnancy and nursing, maternal obesity, endocrine disruptors and environmental toxicants, and stress pathways impacting embryo/fetal development.Developmental programming to vascular, microvascular, cardiovascular, and metabolic outcomesMechanistic and (where feasible) longitudinal studies linking early exposures and early molecular states to later vascular function, microvascular integrity, and cardiovascular/metabolic risk.Bridge studies and translational frameworksWork explicitly connecting early kinetics/integrity → molecular reprogramming → later-life vascular/cardiovascular–metabolic endpoints, including cross-species approaches and biologically interpretable analytics.Translational and interventional strategiesNutritional, exercise, and/or pharmacological interventions during pregnancy (and early life where appropriate) and downstream vascular/cardiovascular–metabolic outcomes.Methods, QC, and traceability for reproducible embryo dataRobust pipelines, provenance/traceability, and quality systems for gamete/embryo handling and embryo phenotype data capture (including time-lapse datasets). Topic editors: Huishi Toh, Sergio Novo Bruña Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79979/developmental-origins-of-cardiovascular-and-metabolic-disease-bridging-embryo-kinetics-genomic-integrity-and-early-life-exposures-to-lifelong-health