Preterm birth mechanisms in a high HIV prevalence setting in rural Zimbabwe

Every year, 13 million babies are born too soon. Preterm babies have a higher risk of dying or developing less well. Preterm birth is particularly common in Africa, where HIV infection during pregnancy increases the risk of preterm birth. Infection and inflammation may cause preterm birth by weakening the membranes and triggering the start of labour. We believe pregnant women with HIV have more infections and inflammation which increases their preterm risk. Our project aims to understand why babies are born preterm in Zimbabwe and whether an inexpensive antibiotic can reduce infections and inflammation, with the overall hope of reducing the number of children born too soon.

Microbiome-Bone Chip

Tommy’s National Preterm Birth Centre

We are investigating a novel solution to heal the fetal membranes after iatrogenic rupture with a long-term view to translate this to pregnancies affected by spontaneous PPROM.

META-DORM

This study seeks to explore the interactions between bone cells, cancer cells and their physical environment and the role of primary cilia, aiming to expand our knowledge of how cancer spreads to bone from other organs.