Switch to हिंदी

Health, Fitness, Beauty & Diet | Pregnancy & Parenting | Diseases & Home Remedies | TheHealthSite.com

Health, Fitness, Beauty & Diet | Pregnancy & Parenting | Diseases & Home Remedies | TheHealthSite.com

हिंदी
  • Health A-Z
  • Diabetes
  • Diseases
    • Type 1 Diabetes
    • Type 2 Diabetes
    • Cancer
    • Heart Attack
    • Pneumonia
    • Diseases A-Z
  • Diet & Fitness
    • Weight Management
    • Exercise & Body Building
    • Diet & Recipes
    • Yoga
  • Coronavirus
  • News
  • Pregnancy
    • Conceiving
    • Infertility
    • Labour & Delivery
    • Pregnancy week-by-week
    • Breastfeeding
    • Baby Names
  • Beauty
    • Skin
    • Hair
    • Grooming
  • Photos
  • Videos
Home / Health News / Scientists design placenta-on-a-chip to prevent and find causes of preterm birth

Scientists design placenta-on-a-chip to prevent and find causes of preterm birth

To better understand the causes of premature birth and devise ways to prevent it, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a placenta-on-a-chip that can fully model the transport of nutrients across the placental barrier. P

By: Agencies   | | Published: July 26, 2016 2:52 pm
Tags: Pregnancy guide  Premature babies  Preterm birth  
news-pregnancy-preterm-birth-THS

To better understand the causes of premature birth and devise ways to prevent it, researchers at University of Pennsylvania have developed a placenta-on-a-chip that can fully model the transport of nutrients across the placental barrier. Prematurely born babies may experience lifelong, debilitating consequences, but the underlying mechanisms of this condition are not well understood due in part to the difficulties of experimenting with intact, living human placentae. Donated placental tissue can be problematic for doing many of the types of studies necessary for fully understanding the structure and function of the placenta. Beyond the scarcity of samples, there’s a limited lifespan of how long the tissue remains viable, for only a few hours after delivery, and the system that is used to perfuse the tissue and perform transport studies is complex, said one of the researchers Cassidy Blundell. (Read: Common plastic chemicals in food containers can increase your risk of premature delivery) Also Read - Stress in expecting mothers impact baby: Herbs to relieve stress during pregnancy

Also Read - Pregnancy: Metal exposure may lead to preterm births and pre-eclampsia in pregnant women



Like other organs-on-chips, such as ones developed to simulate lungs, intestines and eyes, the placenta-on-a-chip provides a unique capability to mimic and study the function of that human organ in ways that have not been possible using traditional tools. The researchers’ placenta-on-a-chip is a clear silicone device that contains two layers of human cells that model the interface between mother and fetus. Microfluidic channels on either side of those layers allow researchers to study how molecules are transported through, or are blocked by, that interface. The placenta is arguably the least understood organ in the human body and much remains to be learned about how transport between mother and fetus works at the tissue, cellular and molecular levels, Professor Dan Huh, one of the lead researchers, said. (Read: 11 factors that increase your risk of delivering a premature baby) Also Read - Pregnancy complications: What can you do to reduce risk of premature labour?

While the placenta-on-a-chip, described in the journal Lab on a Chip, is still in the early stages of testing, the researchers are already planning to use it in studies on preterm birth. This effort was part of the much larger Prematurity Research Center here at Penn, one of five centers around the country funded by the March of Dimes ( a non-profit organisation) to study the causes of preterm birth. The rate of preterm birth is about 10 to 11 percent of all pregnancies. That rate has not been decreasing, and interventions to prevent preterm birth have been largely unsuccessful, Professor Samuel Parry said. (Read: Born too soon the dangers of premature birth)

Source: IANS

Photo source: Getty images (Image for representational purpose only)

Published : July 26, 2016 2:52 pm
Read Disclaimer

Selective DNA sequencing in real time to be a reality, thanks to this new device

Selective DNA sequencing in real time to be a reality, thanks to this new device

Ladies, did you know menopause and insomnia can lead to an early death?

Ladies, did you know menopause and insomnia can lead to an early death?

Please Wait. Article Loading ....

Coronavirus Updates

Coronavirus Updates

Stay Informed, Be Safe

  • Coronavirus vaccine: This nasal spray can block the virus for upto 2 days
  • To vaccinate or not? Medical expert clears the air around Covid-19 vaccines
  • Recovered from Covid-19? Your immune system may fight coronavirus variants
  • Covid-19 variant detected in UK may be ‘more deadly than the older virus strain’
  • UK COVID Strain May Be More Infectious But There Is No Need To Panic: Experts

Health Calculators

BMI Calculator
bmi Calculator
Ideal Body Weight
ideal body weight
Daily Calorie Intake
Daily calorie intake
Calories Burned
calories burned

Related Stories

Stress in expecting mothers impact baby: Herbs to relieve stress during pregnancy

Stress in expecting mothers impact baby: Herbs to relieve stress during pregnancy

Pregnancy: Metal exposure may lead to preterm births and pre-eclampsia in pregnant women

Pregnancy: Metal exposure may lead to preterm births and pre-eclampsia in pregnant women

Pregnancy complications: What can you do to reduce risk of premature labour?

Pregnancy complications: What can you do to reduce risk of premature labour?

World Prematurity Day: What parents need to know when the baby arrives too soon

World Prematurity Day: What parents need to know when the baby arrives too soon

Why babies kick in the womb and when it starts?

Why babies kick in the womb and when it starts?

Health News in Hindi

Turmeric Beauty Benefits: वरुण धवन के हल्दी समारोह की तस्वीरें हैं खास,केवल रिवाज भर नहीं है शादी में हल्दी लगाना, त्वचा के लिए फायदेमंद है हल्दी का लेप

करीन कपूर प्रेग्नेंसी में मेंटली रिलैक्स रहने के लिए करती हैं योग, तस्वीरों और वीडियोज में योग पोज में फ्लॉन्ट किया बेबी बम्प

Weight Loss Diet: वेट लॉस के लिए एक्सपर्ट्स मानते हैं लो-फैट डायट को बेस्ट, जानें इस डायट के अन्य फायदे

बर्मिंघम यूनिवर्सिटी के शोधकर्ता बना रहे हैं एक ऐसा ‘नेजल स्प्रे’ जो 2 दिनों तक कोरोनावायरस को शरीर में जाने से रोकेगा

लालू प्रसाद यादव की तबीयत में सुधार नहीं, इस गंभीर संक्रमण से हैं ग्रस्त, दिल्ली के एम्स में चल रहा है इलाज

Read All

Recent Posts

  • Thyroid: Do you constantly feel exhausted? It could be a sign of Hypothyroidism
  • Coronavirus vaccine: This nasal spray can block the virus for upto 2 days
  • To vaccinate or not? Medical expert clears the air around Covid-19 vaccines
  • Egg freezing on rise in India: Is it the best choice to make? Know the pros and cons
  • Recovered from Covid-19? Your immune system may fight coronavirus variants

About The health Site

TheHealthSite.com is India's largest health site with more than 40 lakh unique visitors per month. We focus on fitness, beauty, health, pregnancy and more.

Most popular health and wellness website in India in 2012 at the Website of the year awards.

health@corp.india.com
+91 – 22 – 6697 1234
Landline Phone number 91 – 22 – 2490 0302.

ZEE ENTERTAINMENT ENTERPRISES LTD, 18th floor, A-Wing, Marathon Futurex, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400013.

Useful Links

  • Weight Loss
  • Keto Diet Tips
  • Skin Care Tips
  • Intermittent Fasting
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Ashwagandha
  • Cancer
  • Pneumonia
  • Diarrhoea
  • Dengue
  • Typhoid
  • Tuberculosis
  • Chickenpox
  • Chikungunya
  • Depression
  • Hepatitis
  • Diabetes
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Arthritis
  • Swine Flu
  • Baby Names
  • Cough and cold
  • Heart Attack
  • Breast Cancer
  • Ebola Virus
  • Dengue
  • Malaria
  • International Yoga Day
  • Hypotension
  • Heart Failure
  • Asthma
  • Brain Tumour
  • Celebrity Fitness
  • Goitre
  • HIV/AIDS

We respect your privacy

  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Author Profiles

Copyright © 2021 Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited. All rights reserved.