Extreme heat and preterm birth in rural zimbabwe

This project worth £1.89M is funded by Wellcome and led by Prof Andrew Prendergast who is the Director of the Zvitambo Institute for Maternal and Child Health Research in Zimbabwe and has established clinical trials to improve healthy birth and growth.

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.

Engineering the fetal membranes with bioinspired materials

Every year in the UK, an estimated 1 in 9 babies are born preterm because the fetal membranes (FM) spontaneously rupture too early. This condition is called preterm premature rupture of the fetal membrane (PPROM) and is a common cause of preterm birth. Increasingly also clinicians are treating babies in the womb using fetoscopic and open hysterotomy approaches. However, PPROM complicates over 40% of such surgeries leading to preterm birth in treated babies, reducing the clinical effectiveness of fetal surgery. There are currently no clinical solutions to improve healing of the FM after surgery or after it ruptures spontaneously. We have been investigating the reasons why the fetal membranes do not heal in pregnant women

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.

Healing the fetal membranes after iatrogenic PPROM

The integrity of the fetal membranes that surrounds the baby in the womb during pregnancy are vital for normal development. Once the fetal membranes have ruptured or are damaged, they fail to heal leaving a defect until the end of pregnancy. Bacteria may subsequently ascend from the vagina into the womb, causing infection both to the fetus and mother. This condition is called pre-term premature rupture of the foetal membrane (PPROM), and is a common cause of preterm birth. PPROM also complicates 30% of fetal surgeries that are increasingly being used to treat abnormalities in the unborn baby such as spine, diaphragmatic and placental defects. However, PPROM and subsequent preterm birth compromises the outcome of treated babies, reducing the clinical effectiveness of foetal surgery. There are no clinical solutions to improve healing of the foetal membrane after it ruptures.

Engineer the story

Mechanisms and Strategies for Fetal Membrane Weakening and Repair after Trauma

Preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) is the rupture of fetal membranes prior to 37 weeks gestation, and before the onset of labour. PPROM complicates 40% of preterm births, which can result in lifelong disabilities such as respiratory, cardiac and neurological disorders. The causes of PPROM are multifactorial and not well understood.

ISSF Small Grant: Trachea Defects in Babies

Regenerative Biomechanics of Human Body

ISSF Small Grant: Human Amniotic Membrane

Growing the QMUL Virtual Tissue Lab (Westfield Trust and EPSRC IAA).

Funding from SEIF and the Westfield Trust supported the evolutionary development of a virtual, interactive teaching aid called the Virtual Tissue Lab (VTL). The site called www.virtualtissuelab.com encourages level 7 students to experience real-life lessons in academic practice and transferable skills needed for life long learning. Technical skills are ...

EPSRC CASE Studentship with NPL

HydraSense is a SMART device to monitor hydration real-time and non-invasively.

A tissue engineering approach to treat defects in the windpipe of babies with fetal stem cells .

There is a strong clinical need for tissue replacement in infants and children. Most tissue and organ engineering efforts are targeted at adult patients, who suffer from tissue loss because of injury or disease.

Influence of mechanical conditioning and the C-type natriuretic peptide in the modulation of osteoarthritis (ARUK and AOF)

CNP plays a critical role in the development and regulation of articular cartilage by promoting extracellular matrix production and chondrocyte proliferation. Our previous studies demonstrate that CNP acts to inhibit catabolic signals in response to IL-1?, and that these effects are synergistic with the protective stimuli induced by mechanical ...