Natural Killer Cells in Early Pregnancy (NKEP)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Prospective study of natural killer cells and other associated cells of the immune system in women with low versus high risk of implantation and placentation problems in early pregnancy
IRAS ID
289560
Contact name
Shreya Sheth
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 1 months, 24 days
Research summary
Reproductive failure such as recurrent miscarriage and implantation failure is a cause of psychological distress in couples trying to conceive but the cause for at least half of cases remain unexplained. A growing body of evidence points towards the role of the immune system in helping placental development. One population of interest is natural killer (NK) cells – some studies have shown that increased level and/or activity of NK cells is associated with reproductive failure, yet others showed the contrary. It is now recognized that NK cells help in achieving successful placentation in normal pregnancies, hence there is a need for further basic science studies to find out how this is different in pregnancies with complications.
The aim of our study is to assess the role of NK cells and other immune cells in women who are at high versus low risk of placental defect in early pregnancy. There are two main arms to this study. In the first arm, we will compare NK cells in the blood and lining of womb in women with history of recurrent miscarriage or implantation failure with women who have no history of reproductive failure. In the second arm, we will recruit women who have chosen to undergo surgical termination of pregnancy and assess their risk of developing placental problems by measurement of blood flow to the uterus with a scan and blood markers (PAPP-A and PLGF). We will then compare uterine NK cells in low risk versus high risk women to understand how they behave during early stages of placental development that may contribute to complications in later pregnancy such as pre-eclampsia and preterm labour.
By performing this study, we hope to deepen our understanding of the role of immune system in high risk pregnancies so that targeted immunotherapy can be developed in the future.
REC name
West Midlands - Solihull Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/WM/0041
Date of REC Opinion
4 Apr 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion