Scientists, including one of Indian-origin, have developed a "placenta-on-a-chip" to study the inner workings of the human placenta and its role in pregnancy.
The device imitates, on a micro-level, the structure and function of the human placenta and models the transfer of nutrients from mother to foetus.
"We believe that this system may be used to address questions that are difficult to answer with the current placenta model systems and serve to enable research in pregnancy and its complications," said Roberto Romero from Wayne State University.
The device, which can be used repeatedly in multiple experiments, may reduce the cost of placental research by replacing the use of animal models in medical studies.
Among its many functions, the placenta acts as a "crossing guard" for substances transmitted between mother and foetus. The placenta helps nutrients and oxygen move to the foetus and helps waste products move away.
It also attempts to halt harmful environmental exposures like bacteria, viruses and certain medications, from reaching the foetus.
Researchers are trying to learn how the placenta manages all of these functions, knowledge that is expected to help clinicians better assess placental health and improve pregnancy outcome.
The placenta-on-a-chip consists of two small channels separated by a thin membrane made of extracellular matrix. Foetal endothelial cells are seeded into one side of the membrane, and maternal cells on the other.
The chip mimics the placental barrier, where oxygen and nutrients are delivered to the growing baby and the waste products are removed from the baby's blood critical to prenatal health.
The placental barrier also controls the transport of potentially harmful pathogens between the mother and foetus.
After designing the structure of the model, researchers tested its function by evaluating the transfer of glucose from the maternal compartment to the foetal compartment.
The successful glucose transfer in the device mirrored what occurs in the human body.
The development of such chips allows researchers to test the effect of drugs now in development and to ask and test fundamental biological questions, said associate professor Amar Basu and Mark Ming-Cheng Cheng, associate professor of WSU Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Organ-on-a-chip systems mimic the microstructures and microenvironment in the body.
For patients, this will ultimately translate into better therapies and a more rapid development pipeline.
The study was published in the Journal of Maternal-Foetal and Neonatal Medicine.
