The role of the immune system in initiating labour
Research institutes:
Department of Metabolism,
Digestion and Reproduction,
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Campus,
Imperial College LondonProject dates:
Grant Awarded: 19 Dec 2022
Funding awarded:
Grant Amount: £102,487 (Borne’s share)
Total Amount: £204,974
We don’t know enough about how normal labour starts to be able to prevent preterm labour. Dr Viki Male and her team have found a special type of immune cell in the womb that is active during labour. In this project, they are investigating whether these cells have a role to play in initiating labour. If so, this could lead to new treatments to delay preterm labour, and ensure more babies are born at the right time.
The challenge
There are many factors which may lead to preterm births, but in around one in three cases, we don’t know what has caused labour to begin too early.
The fact is we don’t know enough about how normal labour starts, even with full-term pregnancies. This is stopping us from understanding what goes wrong in preterm labour, and finding ways to prevent babies from being born too soon. So, it’s essential we better understand the process of how normal labour begins.
The project
The immune system protects our bodies from infections, but scientists have also discovered that it may play a role in initiating labour.
Dr Viki Male and her team have identified a special group of immune cells known as ‘Cluster 3 macrophages’. The number and activity of these cells increases during labour, which suggests they might play a key role in initiating labour. Dr Male plans to confirm whether this is the case in this project.
Dr Male’s team are isolating these cells from samples of the lining of the womb, donated by mothers with full-term pregnancies, either not in labour or in early labour.
The team are investigating whether these Cluster 3 macrophages can activate other immune cells. They are also investigating whether these cells produce molecules that cause a mother’s waters to break – an early step in the beginning of labour.
What difference will this project make?
We need to understand how normal full-term labour starts, so we can better understand what goes wrong when labour starts too early. Studying these unique immune cells will allow Dr Male’s team to start investigating whether these cells also involved in preterm labour.
If Cluster 3 macrophages are involved in preterm labour, there are already treatments that exist which could reduce the activity of these cells. So, this project might lead to clinical trials to test these treatments to prevent preterm labour – and stop babies from being born too soon.
By fully understanding how these immune cells are involved in labour, future studies might be able to target them, or some of the molecules they make, to prevent preterm labour. Finding an effective treatment to reduce the number of babies born too soon would mitigate some of the emotional, physical and financial costs of preterm birth.
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Nurturing Talent
One of Borne’s key objectives is to build and strengthen the UK’s preterm birth research community. This will help speed up discoveries that will stop babies being born too soon.
Emilie Patterson is the researcher working on this project supervised by Dr Viki Male. Emilie’s PhD studentship is funded by another charity. She explains how the funding from this project is helping to progress her career in preterm birth research:
“I am very grateful for Borne’s support in funding my research investigating the initiation of labour, which has had a significant impact on my development as a scientist. This opportunity has allowed me to pursue my PhD research with focus and confidence, knowing that I am contributing to an area of work that has both scientific importance and potential real-world benefit. The experience has not only strengthened my technical expertise but has also helped me to grow as an independent researcher, learning how to manage this project, engage critically with the literature, and communicate my findings effectively.
One of the most rewarding outcomes so far has been the publication of a forum article in a [high-ranking] journal. This was my first opportunity to share my work and perspectives with an international audience, and it provided valuable experience in academic writing, peer review, and dissemination. Achievements like this have been instrumental in building my academic profile and confidence as an early-career researcher.
While I am still working on my PhD, the skills and opportunities I have gained through Borne’s support are laying the foundation for my future career. I am excited to continue developing as a scientist, and I am deeply appreciative of the role Borne has played in enabling me to take these important steps.”
Updates
May 2025 – The project is going as planned, and good progress is being made. To date, the team have:
- Found a simpler and more cost-effective method to identify the Cluster 3 macrophages in womb samples.
- Discovered that Cluster 3 macrophages produce four molecules that activate other immune cells, which in turn can activate other cells in a chain reaction.
- Showed that these macrophages do make molecules that could help the waters to break. The team are conducting further lab experiments to see if this is indeed the case.
- Found that the number of macrophages does increase during labour, and possibly before labour begins. The team are conducting more research to confirm this.
This project is jointly funded by Borne and Action Medical Research
