Characterising Delayed Villous Maturation
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Towards a better understanding of Delayed Villous Maturation - A Placental Disorder associated with Stillbirth
IRAS ID
331732
Contact name
Alexander Heazell
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Stillbirth affects 1 in 240 births after 24 weeks' gestation. Numerous placental lesions are associated with stillbirth. One such lesion that has been increasingly implicated in cases of stillbirth is Delayed Villous Maturation (DVM). DVM usually presents late in pregnancy; it is rarely seen before 34 weeks and mostly after 36 weeks of gestation. It involves inadequate development of placental villi, which are the primary sites of nutrient and oxygen exchange between the mother and fetus. Currently, there is a limited understanding on why and how DVM occurs in the placenta. DVM can only be diagnosed by placental examination after the pregnancy, but there are no standardised diagnostic criteria, which results in a lack of consensus among pathologists in diagnosing DVM. These issues lead to inadequate management strategies for patients who have or are at high risk for developing DVM; in many cases fetuses are born early in subsequent pregnancies leading to complications of preterm or early-term birth.
This study aims to increase understanding of DVM and help make diagnosing it easier and more objective. We will carry out a study on placental samples that have already been collected from patients previously diagnosed with DVM at 36-42 weeks of gestation, as well as healthy controls matched for gestational age, to try and establish quantitative criteria to distinguish between DVM and healthy placentas. We will then use these criteria to select DVM samples for further characterisation to increase our understanding of what occurs in DVM placentas through RNA sequencing.
The research will be funded by a charitable donation to the University of Manchester by Tommy’s Charity to support a PhD studentship awarded to Sharanam Soni.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/NW/0100
Date of REC Opinion
21 Mar 2024
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion