A study by Ulla Sovio, Gordon Smith and colleagues, published in Nature Medicine, has identified metabolites predictive of fetal growth restriction (FGR) at term. FGR means that the fetus fails to grow according to its growth potential. The condition is a major cause of stillbirth, neonatal morbidity and mortality and is also associated with developmental […]
O&G session at Science Festival cancelled
Unfortunately due to precautions around the Coronavirus, a number of events for the Science Festival have been cancelled including the O&G session. See the Festival website for the updated programme and what sessions will continue. The Department hopes to run its event at a later time.
5 March Visiting speaker – Nancy McBride
Metabolomic prediction of pregnancy-related disorders Speaker: Nancy McBride, Doctor of Philosophy Student, University of Bristol Time: Thursday 5th of March 2020, 16:00-17:00 Location: The Rosie Hospital, Seminar Room 2A, Cambridge CB2 0SW http://www.media-studio.co.uk/roomdirections The talk will include an overview of Nancy’s previous work using NMR metabolomics to predict pregnancy outcomes. The use of mass spectrometry-based […]
Distinctive phenotypes and functions of innate lymphoid cells in human decidua during early pregnancy
A new study published in Nature Communications by Francesco Colucci’s group (Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology) in collaboration with Andrew Sharkey’s laboratory (Department of Pathology) identified subsets of human decidual innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), with features distinct from blood ILC. The lining of the pregnant uterus, called the decidua, is an interface between maternal and […]
POPS2 – Pregnancy Outcome Prediction Study 2
Recruitment for our new study will start at the Rosie Hospital (Cambridge, UK) 13th January 2020. The main aim of the study is to identify women at high risk of pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction (FGR).
Giulia Avellino SRI Award
Congratulations to Giulia Avellino who has been selected for the SRI President’s Plenary Award for her abstract titled “Placental Central Carbon Metabolism Links Polyamines to Histone Acetylation” G Avellino, DS Charnock-Jones, GC Smith, I Aye. The award will be presented at the 67th Annual Scientific Meeting held in Vancouver, BC, Canada, 10-14 March 2020. The […]
Professional Services Recognition Scheme
Congratulations to our ‘unsung hero’ Sheree on winning an award at the Professional Services Recognition Scheme ceremony held yesterday. Well deserved!
The immunological code of pregnancy
In this Perspective published in Science, Francesco Colucci outlines the complex interactions between maternal immune cells and fetal trophoblast and the impact on pregnancy complications. Colucci F (2019). The immunological code of pregnancy. Science 365(6456): 862-863
Human placenta has no microbiome but can contain potential pathogens
A study by Susanne Lager (Obstetrics and Gynaecology) and Marcus de Goffau (Veterinary Medicine and Wellcome Sanger Institute), led by Steve Charnock-Jones and Gordon Smith (both Obstetrics and Gynaecology), showed, conversely to other studies, that the placenta does not have a microbiome. The placenta is the critical interface between the mother and the growing foetus, transporting […]
Shedding light on uterine lymphocytes: the power of mouse models
The uterus of humans and mice is home to many immune cells, including natural killer (NK) and other innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), which may play important roles in pregnancy. The uterine mucosa dynamically adapts to both the menstrual cycle and pregnancy and therefore it is particularly hard to study. A paper in Nature Communications by […]