Trophoblast motility in a gelatin hydrogel
New Rochelle, NY, December 18, 2020 Trophoblast cells, which surround the developing blastocyst in early pregnancy, play an important role in implantation in the uterine wall. A new multidimensional model of trophoblast motility that utilizes a functionalized hydrogel is described in the peer-reviewed journal
Tissue Engineering, Part A. Click here to read the full-text article free on the
Tissue Engineering website through January 18, 2020.
This valuable new tool, based on a methacrylamide-functionalized gelatin hydrogel, can be used for three-dimensional trophoblast spheroid motility assays. It can resolve quantifiable differences in outgrowth area and viability in the presence of a known invasion promoter and a known invasion inhibitor.
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Gene Therapy for Placental Insufficiency Moves Toward Clinic
A new study identified an adenovirus gene therapy vector carrying a VEGF isoform. It can improve uterine blood flow in placental insufficiency, as reported in the peer-reviewed journal Human Gene Therapy. Click here to read the full-text article free on the Human Gene Therapy website through January 15, 2021.
Reduced uterine blood flow and lack of bioavailable VEGF due to placental insufficiency is a major cause of severe fetal growth restriction (FGR). This is untreatable and causes serious neonatal morbidity and death.
Anna David, UCL Institute for Women’s Health, and colleagues tested different VEGF isoforms on endothelial cells from four species, including from human umbilical vein. The results support the use of the best performing VEGF isoform “in a human clinical trial for FGR caused by placental insufficiency.”