These days it seems that just about anything can be recreated on a microchip. But still, I did a double-take when I read about the new way that scientists are using technology to study pregnancy: They've created a "placenta-on-a-chip."
A functioning placenta is critical for a healthy pregnancy because it regulates the flow of nutrients, oxygen and waste products between the mother and fetus. It also controls the fetus' exposure to bacteria, viruses and other harmful substances. Researchers would like to learn more about how the placenta acts as a "crossing guard" and how it can regulate the body's traffic so well. Yet, studying the placenta is hard to do because it's highly variable, and tinkering with the placenta is risky for the fetus.
To overcome these challenges, an interdisciplinary team led by a University of Pennsylvania researcher created a two-chambered microchip that mimics the structure and function of the human placenta. The study was published online in the Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine and is reported on in this National Institutes of Health press release:
The device consists of a semi-permeable membrane between two tiny chambers, one filled with maternal cells derived from a delivered placenta and the other filled with fetal cells derived from an umbilical cord.
After designing the structure of the model, the researchers tested its function by evaluating the transfer of glucose (a substance made by the body when converting carbohydrates to energy) from the maternal compartment to the fetal compartment. The successful transfer of glucose in the device mirrored what occurs in the body.
As Roberto Romero, MD, chief of the perinatology research branch at the NIH's National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, explains in the press release, this new technology could help researchers explore how the placenta works, and what happens when it fails, in ways that couldn't be safely done before. This, the researchers say, could lead to more successful pregnancies.
Previously: NIH puts focus on the placenta, the “fascinating” and “least understood” organ, Placenta: the video game, The placenta sacrifices itself to keep baby healthy in case of starvation, research shows, The placenta sacrifices itself to keep baby healthy in case of starvation, research shows and Program focuses on the treatment of placental disorders
Photo by Jack Fussell
