Cathy Thornton

Professor Cathy Thornton holds a Personal Chair in Biomedical Sciences at Swansea University's Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science. She leads research on immunological adaptation during pregnancy, placental biology, and antenatal determinants of immune health in childhood. Her work integrates clinical and experimental approaches to improve maternal/neonatal health outcomes and develops novel blood-based diagnostics for pregnancy disorders. She collaborates with medical device developers, particularly in mechanical circulatory support systems.

Research interests focus on pregnancy immunology, immunometabolism, and placental mechanisms. Key topics include gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, cholestasis, and the role of mechanical stress on immune cells. She also explores maternal obesity's impact on pregnancy immune profiles and neonatal immune function.

Her publications span 20+ years, with recent work emphasizing immunometabolic adaptations, placental enzyme characterization, and pandemic impacts on maternal health. She supervises multiple PhD students investigating topics like nanoplastic effects on fetal immunity and vibrational spectroscopy for disease diagnosis.

Thornton serves as Designated Individual for Swansea University's Human Tissue Authority research license. She teaches advanced immunology modules (e.g., Human Immunopathology, Reproductive Biology) and contributes to public engagement through initiatives like Soapbox Science.