Dr Iva Kelava

I am involved in multiple projects studying various aspects of placental biology. Currently we are working on:

1. Placenta infection - we use single-cell transcriptomics to describe the placental primary defence mechanisms against three pathogens that are known to cause fetal and maternal complications during pregnancy. This study provides the first detailed cellular map of the first-trimester placenta upon infection and describes the early events that may lead to fetal and placental disorders if left unchecked.

2. Dissecting the regulatory mechanisms driving trophoblast cell fate – In this project we are developing and using state-of-the-art genomics, computational, cellular and bioengineering tools to investigate how trophoblast cells differentiate, invade the uterus, and interact with maternal cells with a focus on cell-intrinsic mechanisms and environmental cues.