Title: Decidual stromal cells as immunotherapy for prevention of spontaneous preterm birth
Funder: Action Medical Research

Abstract: Background _x000D_ Around 60,000 babies are born prematurely in the UK each year and sadly, more than 1,000 die as a result of being born too soon. Children who survive preterm birth have an increased risk of long term complications including cerebral palsy and learning difficulties. Early during pregnancy, a mother's body has to accept the presence of a baby in her womb. In order to do this, her immune defences must be suppressed and cells found in the lining of the womb, called decidual stromal cells, are known to play an important role in this process. When babies are born prematurely without any obvious explanation, it may be that problems with the mother's immune response and the presence of inflammation and/or infection are contributing to preterm birth._x000D_ _x000D_ The research project_x000D_ This team wants to develop a new treatment approach that can modify the mother's immune and inflammatory responses during pregnancy. Working with a team from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, their aim is to study whether using decidual stromal cells isolated from healthy term placentas can limit inflammation and prevent preterm birth in research models. These cells are already being used successfully to treat other medical conditions. This project represents the first step towards developing a treatment that could be used to prevent spontaneous preterm birth and therefore lead to happier outcomes for many babies and their families._x000D_ _x000D_ Action Medical Research and Borne are jointly funding this research._x000D_ _x000D_

Lay abstract: Background _x000D_ Around 60,000 babies are born prematurely in the UK each year and sadly, more than 1,000 die as a result of being born too soon. Children who survive preterm birth have an increased risk of long term complications including cerebral palsy and learning difficulties. Early during pregnancy, a mother's body has to accept the presence of a baby in her womb. In order to do this, her immune defences must be suppressed and cells found in the lining of the womb, called decidual stromal cells, are known to play an important role in this process. When babies are born prematurely without any obvious explanation, it may be that problems with the mother's immune response and the presence of inflammation and/or infection are contributing to preterm birth._x000D_ _x000D_ The research project_x000D_ This team wants to develop a new treatment approach that can modify the mother's immune and inflammatory responses during pregnancy. Working with a team from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, their aim is to study whether using decidual stromal cells isolated from healthy term placentas can limit inflammation and prevent preterm birth in research models. These cells are already being used successfully to treat other medical conditions. This project represents the first step towards developing a treatment that could be used to prevent spontaneous preterm birth and therefore lead to happier outcomes for many babies and their families._x000D_ _x000D_ Action Medical Research and Borne are jointly funding this research._x000D_ _x000D_

Research activity codes: 2.1 BIOLOGICAL AND ENDOGENOUS FACTORS
Health categories: REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND CHILDBIRTH