Placenta News and Research

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Chimpanzee Naive Stem Cells Reveal Evolutionary Clues to Human Development

Understanding how cells differentiate during early embryonic development is crucial for advancing regenerative medicine and developmental biology.

29 Apr 2025

Guinea Pig Modeling To Study Human Preimplantation and Embryogenesis

Research on guinea pig embryos uncovers similarities to human embryogenesis, advancing understanding of preimplantation stages and reproductive techniques.

23 Apr 2025

Placenta-Derived Signals Improve Liver Organoid Size and Function

Organoids, which are designed to mimic human organs, hold promise for both research and treatment;

9 Apr 2025

Zika and Dengue Virus Use Different Strategies to Infect Dendritic Cells

Zika virus and dengue virus are very close relatives. Both are mosquito-borne flaviviruses, and both specialize in infecting a host's dendritic cells.

26 Mar 2025

Zika Virus Hijacks Placental Tunnels to Evade Immune Defense

Infection with Zika virus in pregnancy can lead to neurological disorders, fetal abnormalities and fetal death. Until now, how the virus manages to cross the placenta, which nurtures the developing fetus and forms a strong barrier against microbes and chemicals that could harm the fetus, has not been clear.

24 Feb 2025

Epigenetic Mechanism Controls Placental Blood Vessel Formation

If the development of blood vessels in the placenta is impaired, fetal growth retardation may result. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Mannheim Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University discovered that the correct development of functioning blood vessels in the mouse placenta is controlled epigenetically: One of the enzymes that modify gene activity using methyl groups is responsible.

16 Jan 2025

Human Cell Atlas Consortium Makes Major Progress in Understanding the Human Body

Researchers with the global Human Cell Atlas (HCA) consortium report significant progress in their quest for a better understanding of the cells of the human body in health and disease, with the publication today (20 November) of a Collection of more than 40 peer-reviewed papers in Nature and other Nature Portfolio journals.

22 Nov 2024

A New Understanding of Viral Infection

Scientists studying animal viruses with the potential to infect humans have discovered a critical protein that could facilitate the spread of a family of organisms known as arteriviruses.

1 Nov 2024

Transposable Elements Drive a Critical Transition in Early Embryogenesis

Researchers at Sinai Health have discovered that DNA elements known as transposons, which may travel throughout the genome, control a crucial stage in early human development instead of human genes.

16 Oct 2024

Transposable Elements Are Key to Normal Progression of Embryonic Cells

A critical transition in early human development is regulated not by our own genes, but by DNA elements called transposons that can move around the genome, Sinai Health researchers have found.

16 Oct 2024

Placental Protein Levels Offer Insights into Early-Onset Preeclampsia

A potentially fatal pregnancy complication, preeclampsia is characterized by persistently elevated blood pressure, which is exacerbated when it develops early in the first trimester.

15 Oct 2024

Bifidobacterium in Maternal Gut Found to Alter Fetal Brain Growth

Bifidobacterium breve supplementation in pregnant mice alters fetal brain metabolism, highlighting its role in enhancing gestational health and development.

29 Aug 2024

Mother's Gut Microbiome Key to Baby's Brain Development

A study in mice has discovered that the presence of Bifidobacterium breve bacteria in the mother's gut during pregnancy promotes healthy brain development in the fetus.

22 Aug 2024

Reawakened Endogenous Retroviruses can Play a Critical Role in Helping Cancer Survive

Peek inside the human genome and, among the 20,000 or so genes that serve as building blocks of life, you'll also find flecks of DNA left behind by viruses that infected primate ancestors tens of millions of years ago.

18 Jul 2024

Breakthrough Study Reveals How Toxoplasma gondii Alters Host Cell Metabolism

Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite responsible for toxoplasmosis, a lifelong chronic infection prevalent in about 30% of the human population.

12 Jul 2024

Unveiling Progesterone's Impact on Cancer Immunosuppression

Researchers turned to pregnancy to explore why some cancers successfully evade the immune system and grow unchecked.

9 Jul 2024

Primitive Endoderm Stem Cells Offer New Hope for Fertility Treatments

An unexpectedly versatile and regenerative stem cell in early embryos may be key to creating new effective fertility treatments, suggests a new study in mice from the University of Copenhagen.

25 Jun 2024

Placenta's Role in Gestational Diabetes Revealed

A recent study led by the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute has discovered that a deficiency in placental expression of the gene insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGFBP1) and low circulating levels of IGFBP1 are linked to insulin resistance during pregnancy, indicating a potential risk factor for the onset of gestational diabetes.

17 Apr 2024

New Research Finds Placenta Cells May Lower Blood Pressure

Scientists from La Trobe University and the Hudson Institute have demonstrated that cells from placentas could have therapeutic benefits for patients suffering from high blood pressure.

1 Feb 2024