Guardians of the Womb: How Regulatory T cells Impact Pregnancy Outcomes
Name of applicant
María Teresa Martín Monreal
Title
Postdoctoral Fellow
Institution
King's College London
Amount
DKK 1,120,000
Year
2023
Type of grant
Internationalisation Fellowships
What?
This project will explore the maternal immune landscape during pregnancy and postpartum, focusing on a type of immune cells called regulatory T cells, to unravel the mechanisms via which these cells influence pregnancy complications like miscarriages and/or pre-term birth.
Why?
Complications during pregnancy, such as miscarriages or pre-term births, are not uncommon. These issues are, in fact, a big health concern worldwide. Figuring out how to predict them early in pregnancy is both essential and complex because we do not fully understand what causes them. Fundamental research on the topic is therefore needed to predict and better manage the women/children at risk.
How?
Using circulating immune cells from pregnant women we will study how regulatory T cells are linked to pregnancy complications via two advanced methods: one looking at the big picture of how immune cell populations change during pregnancy and another zooming into individual cells and their behaviour.