• Manchester research centre
• Manchester centre - pre-eclampsia research
• Manchester centre - preterm labour research

IUGR research at the Manchester research centre

Intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR) is a condition where a baby’s growth slows or ceases when in the womb.  This is often caused by a reduced blood flow through the placenta to the baby.  In many cases of IUGR the placenta is small and doesn’t provide sufficient nutrition to the growing baby.  In IUGR pregnancies blood flow to the placenta decreases as pregnancy progresses, compared to normal pregnancy when blood flow to the placenta increases throughout pregnancy to meet the growing baby’s demand for oxygen and nutrition.

Placental circulation

By comparing placental blood flow and examining the placenta itself from both IUGR pregnancies and ‘normal’ pregnancies, the research team aim to identify specific differences.  Through the use of Doppler scans, the team can measure and compare the blood flow to the placenta.  After delivery, examination of the placenta enables the team to identify any differences in cell structure and behaviour from mothers of IUGR babies to those who have experienced normal pregnancies.  Once differences have been identified they then seek to learn whether these differences can be reversed by treating with different chemicals.

Cell death (apoptosis)

In pregnancies complicated by IUGR, the placenta contains a relatively high proportion of cells that have a shorter life than normal.  This means the placenta functions less well, thereby transferring fewer nutrients and less oxygen both to and from the baby.  The team are investigating why this increased cell turnover occurs in the placenta.  If they can identify what triggers this increased turnover then it should allow treatment strategies to be developed.

Placental gene therapy

Some substances stimulate placental growth – we know that levels of these factors are reduced in IUGR and the team hypothesise that increasing production of these growth factors will lead to a larger placenta, which will in turn lead to more nutrients reaching the baby.  Using specific techniques, the research team have shown that when genes for growth factors are increased in the placenta, placental growth increases.  To date the results come from work carried out purely in the laboratory, but in the future the team will be working to examine whether this system and process will work in vivo.