Can low levels of taurine make stillbirth more likely?
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Authors list
Dr Michelle Desforges, Professor Alexander Heazell, Susan Greenwood, Professor Colin Sibley
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Research centre
Start: August 2015
End: April 2019
Why is this research needed?
When a baby is stillborn, it is often not possible to say why. This can be very distressing for the family. Not only have they suffered the loss of their baby; no one can give them a reason for their pain.
That’s why Tommy’s want to find answers that will not only help us understand why babies are stillborn, but will stop this happening in the future.
Scientists think that one reason may be the placenta not getting enough of an important nutrient: taurine.
What’s happening with this project?
Taurine is essential for our bodies, because the mitochondria – the parts of our cells that make energy – need taurine to work. Our researchers think that if cells in the placenta don’t have enough taurine, our mitochondria can’t make enough energy, and the cells will die.
We also know that the placentas of obese pregnant women cannot take up as much taurine as women with a healthy weight. This may contribute to the higher risk of stillbirth faced by obese women.
Tommy’s researchers are looking at placentas donated by both obese and non-obese women to see if too little taurine can lead to damage to the placenta. From this, they hope to find out if measuring the amount of taurine in the placenta can be used as a test to predict pregnancy complications and stillbirth.
So far, our researchers have been studying the role of taurine in protecting the cells in placentas from damage. The team have done experiments to show that reducing taurine in samples of placenta interferes with how cells protect themselves from damage.
What impact could this project make?
The role of mitochondria in stillbirth is an exciting new area of research that hasn’t been studied before. This project will help us to understand how damage to the placenta can lead to stillbirth, so families can find the answers they need. We can use this knowledge to find new ways of telling when women are at risk, and possibly new treatments that could help stop stillbirths from happening in the future
More research projects
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Research into stillbirth
When a baby dies after 24 weeks of gestation, it is called a stillbirth. Nearly 3000 families a year get the devastating news that their baby is not alive. Our research is helping to change this. -
The AFFIRM trial for prevention of stillbirth
Researchers supported by Tommy’s are looking at whether a package of care and resources for pregnant women can help stop stillbirths. -
Assessing how healthy babies are when they start moving less than normal (FEMINA2)
Reduced fetal movements are a common reason for women to go to hospital in the last 12 weeks of pregnancy. There is currently no way to know which women will have a normal pregnancy and which have problems. -
Assessing how healthy babies are when they start moving less than normal (FEMINA3)
Reduced fetal movements are a common reason for women to go to hospital in the last 12 weeks of pregnancy. But there is still no way to accurately tell which women will have a normal pregnancy, and which will have problems. -
Bile acid levels increases the risk of poor outcomes of pregnancies with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP)
Researchers have looked at information from 5,500 women with ICP, finding that the babies of women with high bile acid levels are most at risk of stillbirth. -
Diabetes, fetal growth and stillbirth
Women suffering from type 1 or type 2 diabetes are more likely to suffer from stillbirths. We want to help people with diabetes to have healthy pregnancies. -
Can steroid injections improve blood flow to babies at risk of stillbirth?
Finding out whether steroids can improve the blood flow through the placenta -
Comparing 2D and 3D MRI to study the placenta
Our scientists are developing new ways to use MRI scans to study the placenta, so that we can understand how it works and how its structure and function change during pregnancy. This will help us prevent complications like stillbirth and miscarriage.