Borne Collaborative Meeting 2026: Advancing Research in Pregnancy and Preterm Birth
Borne was delighted to host its annual Borne Collaborative Meeting on March 24th 2026 in Puerto Rico, alongside the 73rd Society for Reproductive Investigation Annual Conference. The meeting brought together 52 of the world’s leading scientists, clinical researchers, and emerging talents in pregnancy and reproductive health research for a day of discussion, collaboration, and scientific exchange.
Throughout the day, attendees shared progress, explored new research directions, and strengthened collaboration across institutions and disciplines, all with the shared aim of improving outcomes in pregnancy and reducing preterm birth.
Borne Chief Executive David Badcock and Borne Founder Professor Mark Johnson provided updates on Borne’s activities and ongoing research initiatives, setting the scene for a highly collaborative and forward-looking day, with a strong emphasis on partnership and shared scientific goals.
BUMP Project: Feasibility Studies and Big BUMP
A major focus of the morning was the BUMP project — the Borne Uterine Mapping Project — discussed in considerable detail throughout the session.
Professor Lucilla Poston opened with an introduction to the project, followed by presentations from Professor Rachel Tribe and Professor Phil Bennett on the BUMP feasibility studies. These highlighted the progress that has been made so far in uterine molecular mapping, including validation of various experimental technologies and how these could be applied to to better understand pregnancy and labour.
Professor Poston spoke about the next phase of the project, referred to as “Big BUMP”, outlining the vision for the scale, collaborative spirit and purpose required to significantly advance our understanding of uterine function in pregnancy, labour at term and preterm labour. An open discussion generated a great deal of interest and ideas from across the group.
It was clear from the discussion that the BUMP project is seen by many as an exciting and potentially transformative research initiative in this field.
Up and Coming Experimental Approaches
The next session focused on emerging experimental approaches and new technologies that are helping researchers better understand pregnancy biology and complications such as preterm birth.
We heard fascinating presentations on immune cells in pregnancy (that determine successful pregnancy outcomes), placenta-derived microvesicles (small packages shed from cells of the placenta in to the uterine environment) and advanced imaging techniques such as spatial proteomics (to simultaneously detect the cell-specific expression of multiple proteins) and 3D electron microscopy (to reveal novel cell-to-cell relationships). These talks demonstrated the rapid advance of technologies and how researchers are now able to study pregnancy at cellular and molecular levels in ways that were not possible just a few years ago.
The session ended with a discussion on how these new approaches could be incorporated into collaborative projects and future research programmes (e.g. Big BUMP).
Electricity and the Uterus: From Lab to Clinic
After lunch, we focused on uterine electrical activity and how electrical propagation through the uterus regulates the contractions of labour, including preterm labour.
Presentations covered spatiotemporal electrical propagation, labour in the non-human primate, techniques for recording human uterine excitation in real-time, and emerging technologies for preterm labour prediction and monitoring. This session highlighted the growing importance of bioelectrical monitoring and modelling in understanding how labour begins and progresses, and how this research may eventually translate into clinical tools for preterm labour monitoring and treatment.
Debate: The Future of Animal Research
One of the most engaging parts of the day was a debate in response to changes in government strategy regarding animal research. In particular, attendees were challenged to consider the impact for pregnancy and preterm birth research if animal research were to be phased out.
The debate featured arguments against the proposal of phasing out animal research from Professor Kristina Adams Waldorf and arguments in favour from Professor Ram Menon. This sparked a very thoughtful and lively discussion among attendees, highlighting the ethical, scientific and practical complexities surrounding animal research in medical science.
Closing Thoughts
The meeting concluded with final reflections from Professor Lucilla Poston and Professor Mark Johnson, who summarised the key themes from the day and emphasised the importance of continued collaboration in tackling the major challenges in pregnancy research and preterm birth.
We ended the day with drinks, dinner and continued conversations, which provided further opportunities for collaboration and discussion in a more informal setting.
Looking Ahead
With major initiatives such as the BUMP project progressing, alongside rapid advances in experimental technologies and uterine monitoring, we have a strong sense that the field is moving forward quickly. The collaborative spirit and shared purpose evident throughout the meeting made it clear that, by working together, we can continue to make meaningful progress in understanding pregnancy and preventing preterm birth.
