Placental Origins of Adverse Pregnancy Outcome
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding the placental structure, function and pathophysiology underlying the development of adverse pregnancy outcomes such as pre-eclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, gestational diabetes, and preterm birth
IRAS ID
130157
Contact name
Nigel AB Simpson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Leeds
Research summary
Conventional pathologic assessment of the placenta relies on subjective, qualitative markers of health or disease (thrombosis, ischaemia, etc) rather than objective quantitative parameters (vessel number etc). The former is a time-consuming, expert-led process. By developing the latter assessments there is the potential to reduce the subjective nature of placental examination and to understand the processes whereby adverse pregnancy outcomes arise.
The study population will be pregnant women attending the LGI or SJUH regardless of whether their pregnancies are considered low or high risk. They will be approached by one of the members of the direct clinical care team to determine their eligibility to the study. If suitable for recruitment, they will be informed of the purpose of the research study and will be given a patient information leaflet and a consent form prior to be asked to take part in the study.
After delivery of the placenta, New samples will be taken from the placenta and stored in formalin or frozen in liquid nitrogen for subsequent histopathologic, metabolomic, proteomic and genomic studies. Additionally a sample of mother’s blood and urine will be obtained to correlate placental changes with those occurring elsewhere in the mother’s system.
Existing stored blocks of placenta in the histopathology department will be taken and cut serially to several slides which is then scanned to the computer and converted to a digital image which is then can be converted to 3D by reconstruction through a volume viewer software.
Through subsequent case-control studies we will then aim to determine whether it is possible to correlate quantifiable placental disease (such as vessel number, 3D anatomy, biomarker levels) in cases where adverse outcomes have occurred when compared with healthy pregnancies (normotensive, appropriate birth centile).
Together, these data will contribute to a novel understanding and assessment of placental structure and function in adverse pregnancy outcomes.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/YH/0344
Date of REC Opinion
1 Nov 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion