Gene-expression profiling to reveal pathogenic mechanisms in disease

In this thesis, we attempted to find causes for the congenital malformations in the offspring of females with preconceptional hyperglycemia and for the inflammatory bowel disease of females with Crohn’s disease by establishing the gene expression profile in the target organs with Next Generation Sequencing methods. Maternal hyperglycemia is one of the major causes of congenital malformations in the offspring, with the cardiovascular and neural system most commonly affected. Inflammatory bowel disease is an inflammatory condition of the small intestine and colon, with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis as the principal manifestations. Despite intense research efforts, the underlying mechanisms for these diseases are still unclear.