Events

Bioengineering PDRA Seminar by Tafhima Haider

Date: Tuesday 5 December 2023 12:00 - 12:30

Location: SEMS Seminar Room & MS Team

Talk Title: Characterisation and functional implications of sterile inflammation at the feto-maternal interface in maternal obesity and gestational diabetes.

Tafhima Haider's project is about the population in East London is disproportionately affected by adverse birth outcomes including low birth weight, compared to other London boroughs. An estimated 3.7% and 4.4% of all term births in Newham and Tower Hamlets, respectively, are low birth weight (<2500g or < 10th centile) relative to 3.1% for London as a whole. Comorbidities implicated in preterm birth include maternal obesity and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), both of which are on the rise in this population. GDM is a chronic condition which alters maternal metabolism and has a direct impact on placental physiology. Emerging data from small cohort and animal studies suggest that mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum abnormalities are seen in placenta from GDM pregnancies, although mechanistic insight is lacking. To understand the functional implications of these abnormalities, placenta samples will be collected from c-section deliveries at the Royal London hospital from pregnancies that are complicated by GDM and/or maternal obesity and uncomplicated pregnancies as a control. This project will characterise damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) produced by the placenta; determine the mechanism by which DAMPs activate sterile placental inflammation and then explore the impact of this localised inflammatory response on other components of the feto-maternal interface, including the umbilical cord and foetal membranes.

Keywords: Immunology, Undernutrition