CHORIO-CV
Research type
Research Study
Full title
CHaracterisation Of thRombosis, Inflammation and OmiCs in women with and without placental disorders in an obserVational study (CHORIO-CV)
IRAS ID
332754
Contact name
Victoria Parker
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Normal development of the placenta, which supplies the growing baby with oxygen and carries away waste products, is very important for healthy pregnancy. There are several ways in which problems can arise. If placental attachment is not sufficiently strong, it can lead to pre-eclampsia, which causes high blood pressure and leaking of protein into the urine. Left untreated, this can be dangerous for both mother and baby, and typically requires delivery of the baby to stop it progressing. On the other hand, the placenta can sometimes attach too strongly to the womb, a group of conditions called the placenta accreta spectrum. These can cause problems during delivery. In a third scenario, Gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD), there is disorganised placental overgrowth, which can develop into a cancer. This can need treatment with chemotherapy to reach a cure.
Our understanding of these conditions, how they can be treated and prevented is improving all the time. For example, it has been established that women at high-risk of pre-eclampsia benefit from taking aspirin from an early stage of pregnancy. Nevertheless, there remain many unanswered questions about how problems with the placenta arise, the similarities and differences between the types of placental conditions and how we might best prevent/treat these.
This research aims to improve our understanding of problems with the placenta, focussing on key areas such as mechanisms of blood clotting, inflammation and production of regulating molecules that may be associated with placental problems. To make comparisons, we want to include women with normal pregnancy as well as those with placental problems or at high-risk of these.
This research does not involve changing usual medical care in any way, just collecting additional samples for research purposes. It is hoped this research will feed into identifying better ways to diagnose and treat these important conditions.
REC name
South Central - Oxford B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/SC/0404
Date of REC Opinion
11 Dec 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion