Investigating how immune cells help the placenta to implant correctly
Research institute:
Imperial College London
Project dates:
Grant Awarded: 30 Sep 2020
Funding awarded:
Grant Amount (Borne's share): £114,872
Total amount awarded: £229,743
Dr Viki Male and her team have found that immune cells called uNK1 cells may play a key role in helping the placenta implant into the womb correctly. In this project, Dr Male is studying tiny protein-filled packages inside uNK1 cells, to understand exactly
how they might support placental implantation. This could help women get earlier treatment to reduce the risk of problems that lead to some preterm births, and help more babies be born healthy and at the right time.
The challenge
The placenta implants into the lining of the womb very early on in pregnancy, to support the development of the unborn baby. But if the placenta doesn’t implant correctly, it may release distress signals that can cause serious complications and result, in some cases, in pre-term birth.
We need to better understand how the placenta implants into the womb, and what sometimes prevents this from happening correctly, so that we can stop babies from being born too early.
The project
In previous research, part-funded by Borne, Dr Viki Male and her team showed that a group of immune cells in the womb, called uNK1 cells, could have an important role to play in pregnancy. This is because these cells are in the right place at the right time to help the placenta implant. But it’s not yet clear how exactly uNK1 cells might be of benefit and what goes wrong in complications resulting in preterm birth.
uNK1 cells have hundreds of tiny ball-bearing-like packages inside them called ‘granules’– the contents of which have not yet been fully explored. Dr Male believes these granules may contain proteins that are crucial for their role in supporting correct placental implantation. And in this project, she is finding out what these granules contain.
Using cutting-edge laboratory techniques, Dr Male and her team are first identifying the proteins that are present inside these granules, and working out which are unique to the uNK1 cells.
After this, the researchers will study what effect these proteins have on placental cells that attach to the lining of the womb, grow and alter womb cell function to maintain placental health and host a successful pregnancy.
Finally, the team are studying womb samples donated by women who have had problems with placental implantation in previous pregnancies. They are investigating the uNK1 granules in these samples to see if their total number, or the protein content withing the granules, is altered in a manner that could explain the pregnancy complication (e.g. pre-eclampsia or poor growth) resulting in babies needing to be born early.
What difference will this project make?
We need to better understand how the placenta implants into the womb in early pregnancy, so that we can stop problems that lead to preterm birth. Dr Viki Male and her team are investigating uNK1 cells and the contents of special packages called ‘granules’ inside these cells.
Their research could eventually lead to a test to predict whether a woman is likely to have problems with placental implantation during pregnancy. This could mean women receive early support and treatments to try and mitigate these problems. In the long-term, Dr Male’s research might also lead to new treatments to ensure the placenta implants correctly.
This research could lead to fewer pregnancy complications and preterm births, and help more babies be born healthy and at the right time.
This project is jointly funded by Borne and Action Medical Research.
