Placenta News and Research

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Study uncovers potential new way to prevent common pregnancy-related complications

About 1 in 10 pregnant women experience placenta abnormalities that lead to life-threatening preeclampsia (hypertension), preterm labor and fetal growth problems, but finding effective treatments to effectively prevent or reverse these conditions has so far been elusive.

19 Jun 2019

Novel insight could improve vaccines that protect pregnant women and newborns

A team led by Duke Health scientists has identified a cellular process that could lead to the development of safer and more effective vaccines that protect pregnant women as well as their newborns from dangerous infections.

16 Jun 2019

The immune system in women may be different from men finds study

Research has shown that women have a different immune system from men and may respond differently to different immune disease processes.

11 Jun 2019

Trump administration cracks down on fetal tissue research

The Trump administration is cutting funding for fetal tissue research despite opposition from scientists and clinicians.

10 Jun 2019

Texas Biomed awarded $2 million DOD grant to study promising Zika vaccine

The emerging Zika virus is a particular threat to pregnant women. The disease can be transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito and is associated with devastating birth defects, like microcephaly. No approved vaccine against the virus exists.

3 Jun 2019

Novel approach uses magnetic beads for the treatment of preeclampsia

Preliminary laboratory tests show that functionalized magnetic beads successfully reduced blood levels of a harmful molecule that is elevated during preeclampsia, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Hypertension.

13 May 2019

Microbes in maternal intestine may contribute to metabolic changes during pregnancy

New research in The Journal of Physiology has found, using a mouse model, that microbes in the maternal intestine may contribute to impairment of the gut barrier during pregnancy.

13 May 2019

Long-standing immunosuppressive drug reduces Zika birth defects in mice

In experiments with pregnant mice infected with the Zika virus, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report they have successfully used a long-standing immunosuppressive drug to diminish the rate of fetal deaths and birth defects in the mice's offspring.

From Johns Hopkins Medicine 7 May 2019

Genetic test for low birth weight on the horizon

Researchers have successfully identified 190 genetic factors associated with a low birth weight. They hope that this may one day be used to develop a universal genetic test.

3 May 2019

Researchers find potential link between autism and antidepressant use during pregnancy

An international team led by Duke-NUS Medical School has found a potential link between autistic-like behavior in adult mice and exposure to a common antidepressant in the womb.

30 Apr 2019

New approach to repair defects in fetal membranes could prevent life-long medical conditions

Researchers from Queen Mary University of London and University College London have developed a new approach to repair defects in fetal membranes which could prevent life-long medical conditions and disabilities associated with preterm birth.

23 Apr 2019

Scientists use 3D imaging to help model complex processes performed by placenta

New three-dimensional imaging of the human placenta has been developed to help understand the reasons for fetal growth restriction - a condition which affects thousands in the UK alone.

19 Apr 2019

Artificial placenta-based life support technology breaks its 4 minute mile

A major advancement in pioneering technology based around the use of an artificial womb to save extremely premature babies is being hailed as a medical and biotechnological breakthrough.

27 Mar 2019

Recurrent pregnancy loss may be caused by sperm DNA damage, finds study

Some cases of recurrent pregnancy loss may be caused by sperm DNA damage in the male partner, rather than by a problem in affected women, according to research to be presented Sunday, March 24 at ENDO 2019, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in New Orleans, La.

25 Mar 2019

Cancer imaging technique can help detect preeclampsia in pregnancy

An imaging technique used to detect some forms of cancer can also help detect preeclampsia in pregnancy before it becomes a life-threatening condition, a new Tulane study says.

13 Mar 2019

Medical treatment for gestational diabetes could prevent long-term complications in children

Researchers at Cardiff University have found that women taking metformin and/or insulin during gestational diabetes could reduce the risk of long-term complications for their child.

11 Mar 2019

Researchers move one step closer to finding a cure for spina bifida

Researchers on the path to finding a cure for spina bifida have identified specific elements in stem cell secretions as key to protecting neurons and ultimately reducing the lower-limb paralysis associated with the birth defect.

8 Mar 2019

Mother's treatment for infection during pregnancy increases child's risk for autism and depression

Risks for autism and depression are higher if one's mother was in hospital with an infection during pregnancy. This is shown by a major Swedish observational study of nearly 1.8 million children.

8 Mar 2019

Better regulation of the immune system may help manage preeclampsia

Boosting the body's levels of interleukin-4 (IL-4)--an immune system protein that controls inflammation--may help manage the pregnancy complication preeclampsia, according to a new rodent study.

7 Mar 2019

Study sheds new light on early development of embryos

By applying gene analysis to individual cells from early mouse embryos, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered previously unknown cellular stages of fetal development from fertilized egg to living being. The study is published in the scientific journal Cell Reports.

5 Mar 2019