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October 9, 2023 : The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine has received a $4.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop a translational research resource platform to monitor the effects of therapeutics on placental health in pregnancy.
Dr. Amy Murtha, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Ohio State, leads the project. Dr. Murtha and her team will work to develop a new method for monitoring the effects of medications on the placenta using placental exosomes, which are small vesicles that are released by the placenta.
Placental exosomes contain proteins and other molecules that can be used to assess the health of the placenta and the developing fetus. Dr. Murtha’s team will use placental exosomes to develop a new diagnostic test that can be used to identify pregnant women who are at risk of developing complications, such as preeclampsia and miscarriage.
The project will also involve the development of a new treatment platform that can be used to deliver therapeutics to the placenta. This platform could deliver drugs and other therapies to the placenta to treat various conditions, such as preeclampsia, infections, and genetic disorders.
The project is a collaboration between Ohio State and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. The project team includes investigators with expertise in maternal-fetal medicine, exosome biology, pharmacology, and biomedical informatics.
The project is expected to impact pregnant women’s and their babies’ health significantly. By developing new methods to monitor and treat the placenta, the project could help reduce the risk of complications and improve pregnancy outcomes.
Ohio State University has received a $4.5 million grant to develop new methods to monitor and treat the placenta during pregnancy. The project is expected to impact pregnant women’s and their babies’ health significantly.
