Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Dr Robert De Matteo works in the Respiratory Development and Programming Group located in the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology in the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at Monash University as a Research Fellow.
Our research group focuses on better outcomes for preterm infants. Some of the areas we are investigating include;
- the male disadvantage
- treatments that may provide protection against fetal brain injury
- the influence of high oxygen concentrations on the developing lung
My current roles also include Honours convenor in the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology. I am also part of the executive committee of the Fetal and Neonatal Workshop of Australia and New Zealand (FNWANZ). The FNWANZ provides a forum for discussion of new ideas and presentation of experimental and clinical data in fetal and neonatal biology and aims to encourage discussion and establish collaborations between basic scientists and researchers from all disciplines of PSANZ. For more information please visit http://www.med.monash.edu.au/anatomy/workshops/fanworkshop.html
I joined the Respiratory Development and Programming Group in 2006. Research in this group centred on the theme of developmental programming. In particular, how do changes in the developing fetal environment alter the long term structure and function of key organs. Changes in the fetal environment include placental insufficiency or maternal undernutrition (causing fetal growth restriction), premature birth, exposure to inflammatory intra-uterine environment, ventilator-induced lung injury and maternal alcohol ingestion.
My first introduction to the concept of Developmental Programming was during 2004-2005, when I examined if altered fetal renal development, from prenatal glucocorticoid exposure contributed to the higher blood pressure seen in adult sheep, conducted in the Department of Physiology, Monash University.
Prior to 2004, my post-doctoral research was centred on cardiovascular neuroscience, investigating the role of the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus in cardiovascular and renal regulation in the conscious rabbit.
I completed my PhD in 1997, at the Howard Florey Institute of Experimental Physiology and Medicine investigating the renal and cardiovascular actions of adrenal steroids in the conscious unstressed adult sheep.
Overall I have gained in depth knowledge in the following disciplines; central regulation of blood pressure, role of the sympathetic nervous system in disease states, regulation of renal haemodynamics, integrated renal physiology, endocrinology of the adrenal gland, fetal programming, developmental origins of health and disease, lung development and fetal physiology.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Research area keywords
- Fetal Physiology
- Premature babies
- Developmental Origins of Health and Disease
- Neuroprotection
- Sexual dimorphism
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 4 Finished
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Effect of maternal asthma and allergic challenge on maternal and fetal physiology
Bischof, R., Moss, T., Gatford, K., Morrison, J. L., De Matteo, R., Clifton, V., Muhlhausler, B. S. & Wallace, M.
17/09/13 → 17/09/14
Project: Research
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Creatine supplementation during pregnancy as a means of improving outcomes from preterm birth
Walker, D. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), De Matteo, R. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Dickinson, H. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Polglase, G. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Snow, R. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Wong, F. (Chief Investigator (CI))
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) (Australia)
1/01/13 → 31/12/15
Project: Research
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Can erythropoietin provide long-term protection against inflammation-induced brain injury? Relevance to Cerebral Palsy.
Tolcos, M., De Matteo, R. & Harding, R.
1/01/10 → 31/12/12
Project: Research
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Does caffeine affect the development of the very immature brain: dose response relationship?
Tolcos, M. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Cheong, J. L. Y. (Chief Investigator (CI)), De Matteo, R. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Harding, R. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Rees, S. (Chief Investigator (CI))
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) (Australia)
1/01/10 → 31/12/12
Project: Research
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Effects of preterm birth induced with or without exogenous glucocorticoids on the ovine glucose-insulin axis
Bansal, A., Alsweiler, J. M., Oliver, M. H., Jaquiery, A., Phua, H. H., Dragunow, M., de Matteo, R., Harding, J. E. & Bloomfield, F. H., Feb 2021, In: Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease. 12, 1, p. 58-70 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
1 Citation (Scopus) -
Podocyte endowment and the impact of adult body size on kidney health
Cullen-McEwen, L. A., Van Der Wolde, J., Haruhara, K., Tribolet, L., Dowling, J. P., Bertram, M. G., De Matteo, R., Haas, F., Czogalla, J., Okabayashi, Y., Armitage, J. A., Black, M. J., Hoy, W. E., Puelles, V. G. & Bertram, J. F., 30 Aug 2021, In: American Journal of Physiology-Renal Physiology. 321, 3, p. F322-F334 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access14 Citations (Scopus) -
Early impact of moderate preterm birth on the structure, function and gene expression of conduit arteries
Lombardo, P., Nguyen, V. B., Flores, T. J., Sutherland, M. R., Nitsos, I., Allison, B. J., Parkington, H., Tare, M., Harding, R., De Matteo, R., Schneider, M., Polglase, G. R. & Black, M. J., 1 Aug 2020, In: Experimental Physiology. 105, 8, p. 1256-1267 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
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Impact of high-dose caffeine on the preterm ovine cerebrum and cerebellum
Atik, A., De Matteo, R., Boomgardt, M., Rees, S., Harding, R., Cheong, J., Rana, S., Crossley, K. & Tolcos, M., 2 Aug 2019, In: Frontiers in Physiology. 10, 12 p., 990.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile6 Citations (Scopus) -
Maternal allergic asthma during pregnancy alters fetal lung and immune development in sheep: potential mechanisms for programming asthma and allergy
Wooldridge, A. L., Clifton, V. L., Moss, T. J. M., Lu, H., Jamali, M., Agostino, S., Muhlhausler, B. S., Morrison, J. L., De Matteo, R., Wallace, M. J., Bischof, R. J. & Gatford, K. L., 15 Aug 2019, In: The Journal of Physiology. 597, 16, p. 4251-4262 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
15 Citations (Scopus)