The embryo, foetus and new born child are very sensitive to external influences during development. These can arise from problems with the mother's health, her lifestyle, her physical environment, medication, the placenta not working properly, complications during birth, or as consequence of being born too early. Adversity in these periods of developmental vulnerability can have persistent effects on the long-term health of the child, including physical and mental health disorders. We also know that if a mother has complications in pregnancy, that she herself may suffer from increased risk of ill-heath in later life, for example cardiovascular disease, diabetes or mental health problems.

eLIXIR is a prospective collection of blood samples from routine antenatal and neonatal appointments and is due to begin collecting in 2018.