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SUMMARY:Changing concepts of early placental development - Professor Graha
 m Burton\, Dep. of Physiology\, Development and Neuroscience
DTSTART:20090401T130000Z
DTEND:20090401T133000Z
UID:TALK17127@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Gigi Moller
DESCRIPTION:The first three months of human pregnancy is a critical period
 . The conceptus implants into the wall of the uterus\, and interacts with 
 the maternal tissues to form the placenta that will supply the embryo with
  nutrients. Meanwhile\, the main organ systems in the embryo differentiate
 . Many conceptions are lost before 12 weeks of pregnancy\, but then the ra
 te falls dramatically. Over the last few years we have demonstrated that t
 he intrauterine environment is unique compared to the remainder of pregnan
 cy. Most importantly\, we have shown that the conceptus derives its nutrie
 nts not from the maternal blood as has always been believed\, but from the
  secretions of the endometrial glands\, the ‘uterine milk’. This confe
 rs the major advantage that the embryo develops in a low oxygen environmen
 t\, which protects it from oxidative-mediated teratogenesis. This paradigm
  shift in our understanding of the physiology of early pregnancy has profo
 und implications for basic and translational research. For example\, it re
 quires us to revaluate the delivery of key micronutrients\, such as folate
 \, when the neural tube and other organ systems are forming. The shift has
  also provided important new insights into the pathological basis of misca
 rriage and complications of later pregnancy\, centred around placental oxi
 dative stress. These insights open new avenues for research into diagnosti
 c biomarkers and potential therapeutic interventions.    
LOCATION:Centre for Mathematical Sciences\, Meeting Room 2
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