Periodic reporting for period 2 - iPLACENTA (Innovation in modelling Placenta for Maternal and Fetal Health)

iPlacenta is an EU Horizon2020 ITN which trained 15 PhD early stage researchers to model and image the placenta for maternal and fetal health. The consortium was developed and coordinated by Dr Colin Murdoch at the University of Dundee.Two of the most common complications during pregnancy, preeclampsia (PE) and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) are thought to stem from abnormal development and function of the placenta. The WHO reported PE and IUGR as one of the least funded areas of medical research, and there has been comparatively little progress in developing diagnostic tests and therapies. Yet, PE and IUGR cause a great personal, societal and economic impact. PE claims the lives of 76,000 mothers and 500,000 babies annually worldwide. IUGR affects 60,000 births across the EU per year and is the most common factor for stillborn babies. Yet the prediction rate is woefully poor, placing a heavy burden on the healthcare system. For those that survive both PE and IUGR, there are life-long serious cardiovascular and neurological consequences.iPLACENTA aims to use advancements in technology in a multidisciplinary network to enhance our ability to model, visualise and assess the placenta at different levels (in vitro, in silico and in vivo), as well as its interaction with the maternal cardiovascular system, with a view to improving diagnosis and eventual treatment of major placental diseases