HumanPlacenta-V1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Human Placental Development and the Uterine Microenvironment
IRAS ID
276761
Contact name
Margherita Turco
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Cambridge
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
The placenta sustains the mammalian embryo during its development in utero. Abnormal development and interactions of the placenta with the mother’s uterus are at the root of major pregnancy disorders known as the Great Obstetrical Syndromes which include pre-eclampsia, fetal growth restriction and still-birth. During the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy, the placenta and the uterus work closely together as a functional unit. However, our understanding of these critical events occurring during the development of the placenta is limited. Hence our research question: how does the human placenta develop and how is it influenced by the maternal uterine microenvironment? This is a challenging area of research due to ethical and practical restrictions and lack of physiologically relevant experimental models. We have recently achieved a major breakthrough through the generation of 3D cultures that generate mini-organs in a dish called organoids of the human endometrium, the lining of the uterus, and the placenta. These mini-organs can be established using tissue biopsies of the endometrium and placenta. Using these organoids, our long-term research goal is to provide a fundamental molecular and cellular understanding of the biology and interactions of the placenta and the uterus during the establishment of pregnancy in humans. This is so that firstly, by increasing our biological understanding of how the placenta develops, we can begin to understand what goes wrong in disorders of pregnancy. Secondly, this knowledge may help devise possible treatment in the future. Understanding how the human placenta develops and the uterine environment will have a wide-ranging impact on women’s reproductive health and their babies.
REC name
London - Hampstead Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/LO/0115
Date of REC Opinion
13 Jan 2020
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion