Every year an estimated 10,000 women die and 200,000 babies are stillborn due to pregnancy complications caused by malaria, with 95 per cent of cases occurring in Sub-Saharan Africa.
This overlooked area of research has now been thrown a lifeline by a £2 million Wellcome Trust Discovery Award made to Loke CTR member Professor Amanda Sferruzzi-Perri, Professor in Fetal and Placental Physiology, along with project colleagues in the UK, Kenya and Germany.
“Placental malaria is a hidden disease of pregnancy that disproportionately affects parts of the world such as Sub-Saharan Africa, where it is the main cause of fetal deaths or stillbirths and low birth weight, and contributes to mothers dying in pregnancy,” said Professor Sferruzzi-Perri.
Adapted from a press release from St John's College: £2m boost for research to prevent malaria deaths in pregnancy - St John's College, Cambridge
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