COMET: COmmunication between the iMmune systEm and the placenTa
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A study of the COmmunication between the iMmune systEm and the placenTa (COMET)
IRAS ID
252637
Contact name
Beth Holder
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
5 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
During pregnancy, the placenta supports the growth and development of a healthy baby. One important role the placenta plays is the protection of the baby from infection and inflammation. It does this through communicating with the mother’s immune system.
Our research project aims to answer two main research questions:
1) How does protective antibody transfer from mother to fetus across the placenta, and how is this changed following maternal vaccination?
2) How do messages from the immune system change the function of the placenta?Our study involves two patient groups, who will be recruited from Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital (QCCH) and St. Mary's Hospital (SMH). Group 1 will be healthy pregnant women delivering at term, from which we will collect their placentas, and maternal and cord blood. Group 2 will be healthy women undergoing elective termination of pregnancy, from which we will obtain some placenta and the attached decidua (lining of the womb) that is collected as part of this procedure. We will also ask some women in Group 2 to give a blood sample. We will use these samples to: 1) measure antibodies, and study their transfer across the placenta, 2) investigate the two-way communication between immune cells (found in the blood and decidua) and the placenta, and how this alters the functioning of the placenta and immune system in both early and late pregnancy. This research will help us understand the role of this communication in protecting the baby from infection and inflammation in the mother, which could play a role in some pregnancy complications.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Sheffield Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/YH/0217
Date of REC Opinion
31 Jul 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion