"Placental organoids" could be the future of pregnancy and research on conception, say researchers

The researchers were able to develop in the labs placental "mini placentas" or organoids that could transform research into pregnancy, conception, stillbirth, miscarriages, and pregnancy disorders and disorders.

The results of the study developing these organoids were published in the last issue of the journal Nature.

According to the researchers, these organoids can mimic the placenta early in the first trimester. This means that drugs or diseases that affect the placenta during this phase and lead to miscarriages can be studied. In fact, these tiny placentas look so much like the real placenta that they can also give a positive result through a pregnancy test, the team says. Ashley Moffett, Senior Team Researcher and Professor of Reproductive Immunology at the University of Cambridge, confirmed this saying: "If we put a pregnancy stick in the middle of organoids, it is written" pregnant ". "

The team explains that studying a placenta in the uterus has been notoriously difficult until now. The healthy placenta develops and attaches to the walls of the uterus and provides nutrients and oxygenated blood to the growing embryo and fetus. It secretes not only hormones and chemicals that allow the fetus to grow, but also removes waste generated by the growing fetus. The placenta also secretes hormones into the mother's blood, which facilitates pregnancy. This phenomenon has not been studied in humans up to now. With the development of organoids, researchers can now understand the functions and function of the placenta in detail. Moffett said, "We can now begin to experiment on how placental development occurs in the uterine environment."

The team used placental tissue villi cells. These villi are hair resembling normal placental structures. When they are grown in the laboratory, these placental cells can organize into multicellular clusters or into structures that can act as the true placenta by secreting proteins and hormones. These are sizes ranging from one-tenth of a millimeter to a half-millimeter and can be kept in frozen form only to be thawed before use.

Subject matter experts praised this research and stated that it would provide invaluable information on common pregnancy disorders, including stillbirths at birth, growth restrictions in the uterus and pre-eclampsia. Fetal infections such as Zika and their impact on development and growth could also be studied, they add.

The lead author of the research, Margherita Turco, said in a statement: "The placenta is absolutely essential to support the baby in its growth within the mother. When it does not work properly, it can result in serious problems, from pre-eclampsia to miscarriage, with immediate consequences for the mother and the child. "The team adds that this would also be valuable for testing teratogenic drugs or drugs that could harm the unborn baby if it is administered to the mother." Placental organoids would also be a source of cell-based therapies strains in case of unwanted or threatened pregnancy, explains the team.In short, there are several uses of these organoids in research on pregnancy.

According to Moffett, "It has taken 30 years to reach this stage and to have mini placentas that, as we know, will grow in the lab for at least a year."