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Women who will develop potentially life-threatening disorders during pregnancy can be identified early when hormone levels in the placenta are tested, a new study has shown.Pregnancy disorders affect around one in ten pregnant women. Nearly all of the organ systems of the mother’s body need to alter their function during pregnancy so that the baby …

It is with great sadness we note the passing of Twink (W.R.) Allen. Twink was a specialist in equine reproduction, and for many years Director of The Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Equine Fertility Unit in Newmarket. His research covered many areas, from the endocrine and immunological properties of chorionic girdle cells to between-breed embry…

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) has released new guidance in response to emerging areas of stem cell and embryo research, after a two-year consultation with experts in science, ethics and law including Professors Kathy Niakan and Azim Surani. Previous issues of the guidelines have been highly influential, providing an ethic…

Emma Siragher, Amanda Sferruzzi-PerriAbstractIntrauterine hypoxia is a feature of pregnancy complications, both at high altitude and sea level. To understand the placental response to reduced oxygen availability, small animal models of maternal inhalation hypoxia (MIH) or reduced uterine perfusion pressure (RUPP) may be utilised. The aim of this re…

Image credit: Image acquired by Ionel Sandovici using a Philips XL30 FEG microscope at the Cambridge Advanced Imaging Centre, University of CambridgeIn a recent study, Miguel Constância’s group, in collaboration with colleagues from the Centre for Trophoblast Research and University of Manchester, identified the imprinted and maternally expressed g…

Congratulations to Sue Ozanne and colleages for their review "Sex and gender differences in developmental programming of metabolism" listed as one of the most cited articles published since 2018.Dearden, L, Bouret, S. G, Ozanne, S.E. (2018). Sex and gender differences in developmental programming of metabolism. Molecular Metabolism.Volume 15, Septe…

Congratulations to CTR members Professor Dino Giussani and Professor Sue Ozanne who have, with Professor Mike Murphy (MRC Mitochrondrial Biology Unit), been awarded a £1.3m grant from the Medical Research Council (MRC) to study the relationship between obesity in pregnancy and cardiovascular effects in the offspring. Their project 'Maternal Obesity…

Sungsam Gong, Francesca Gaccioli, Justyna Dopierala, Ulla Sovio, Emma Cook, Pieter-Jan Volders, Lennart Martens, Paul D. W. Kirk, Sylvia Richardson, Gordon C. S. Smith & D. Stephen Charnock-JonesAbstractThe placenta is the interface between mother and fetus and inadequate function contributes to short and long-term ill-health. The placenta is absen…

Ulla Sovio, Francesca Gaccioli, Emma Cook,  Stephen Charnock-Jones, Gordon SmithBackgroundThe physiological control of human parturition at term is unknown.ObjectiveTo test the hypothesis that slowing of fetal growth or elevated maternal serum levels of markers of placental hypoxia in late gestation will be associated with earlier term labor.Study …

Emily Angiolini, Ionel Sandovici, Philip M. Coan, Graham J. Burton, Colin P. Sibley, Abigail L. Fowden, Miguel ConstânciaAbstractGenomic imprinting, an epigenetic phenomenon that causes the expression of a small set of genes in a parent-of-origin-specific manner, is thought to have co-evolved with placentation. Many imprinted genes are expressed in…

Katrien De Clercq · Vicente Pérez‑García · Rieta Van Bree · Federica Pollastro · Karen Peeraer · Thomas Voets · Joris VriensAbstract Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels play prominent roles in ion homeostasis by their ability to control cation influx. Mouse placentation is governed by the processes of trophoblast proliferation, invasion, di…

SummaryThe conserved CD94/NKG2A inhibitory receptor is expressed by nearly all human and ∼50% of mouse uterine natural killer (uNK) cells. Binding human HLA-E and mouse Qa-1, NKG2A drives NK cell education, a process of unknown physiological importance influenced by HLA-B alleles. Here, we show that NKG2A genetic ablation in dams mated with wild-ty…

A new study in laboratory rats has discovered a direct link between low oxygen in the womb and impaired memory function in the adult offspring. It also finds that anti-oxidant supplements during pregnancy may protect against this.Low oxygen in the womb - known as chronic fetal hypoxia - is one of the most common complications in human pregnancy. It…

A typical fallopian tube epithelium stained to highlight cell membranes (red), nuclei (blue), and PAX8 genes (green). Photo provided by Ernst Lengyel, University of Chicago.1 of 10 women in reproductive age suffer from endometriosis, but we don’t have a diagnostic tool and we don’t have a treatment for it. -Roser Vento-Tormo Roser is mapping the fe…

Konstantina Nikolakopoulou, Margherita Y TurcoAbstractInfertility is a common problem in modern societies with significant socio-psychological implications for women. Therapeutic interventions are often needed which, depending on the cause, can either be medical treatment, surgical procedures or assisted reproductive technology (ART). However, the …