The placenta's response to infections from malaria, toxoplasmosis and listeria has been mapped in high resolution, possibly paving the way for new treatment options.
Future work focusing on identifying potential drug targets in the pathways that cause complications during infection could inform the design of more directed therapies to tackle infections in early-stage pregnancies.affecting millions of people around the world.
They also discovered that all three infections induced a general inflammatory response in the placenta which dysregulated placental functions. This suggests that secondary inflammation may be the cause of some pregnancy complications. Dr Regina Hoo, co-first author from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, said:"While infections during pregnancy have been known to cause complications, including miscarriage and stillbirth, very little has been known about the underlying mechanisms. Our research shows that even with pathogens that cannot cross the placenta, the secondary inflammation from the immune system may be responsible for disrupting foetal development.
The Human Cell Atlas consortium aims to map every cell type in the human body as a basis for both understanding human health and for diagnosing, monitoring, and treating disease. An open, scientist-led consortium, HCA is a collaborative effort of researchers, institutes, and funders worldwide, with more than 3,400 members from 101 countries across the globe.