The University of Adelaide's Professor Sarah Robertson has secured funding to take a closer look at how immune dysfunction can contribute to early pregnancy loss in Australian women.
With collaborators at the University of Sydney, Professor Robertson and her team, from the University's Robinson Research Institute, received almost $1 million from the latest round of the MRFF Infertility, Pregnancy Loss and Menopause grant program.
"Early pregnancy loss affects five per cent of reproductive aged women, including about 30 per cent seeking IVF treatment, so improved care and prevention is needed," says Professor Robertson.
Preconception planning and treatment interventions for both intending parents are limited by poor understanding of the underlying causes.
This study will investigate the importance of the female immune response, and the role of metabolic, hormone, and male partner factors to pregnancy outcome."
Professor Robertson said the results are expected to provide valuable insight into causes of pregnancy loss and will assist development of better care.
A blood sample will be taken from eligible women in the early stages of pregnancy, who are aged between 18 and 45, with documented evidence of at least one prior biochemical or clinical pregnancy loss before 20 weeks.
"We will analyse blood samples from pregnant women who go on to experience pregnancy loss or healthy pregnancy outcomes, to make progress towards a blood-based screening tool that can be utilised in early pregnancy to measure immune tolerance and risk of pregnancy loss," says Professor Robertson.
"This study will address research questions identified as high priorities by consumers and clinicians, to provide insight on biological causes of unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), to develop new screening and treatment tools, and to consider male partner contributions.
Establishing a healthy pregnancy requires the immune response to acquire a specific state of active immune tolerance to paternally-inherited fetal antigens, a process orchestrated by lymphocytes called T regulatory (Treg) cells.
Reduced Treg cell abundance and/or function in the uterus and peripheral blood is consistently evident in RPL, accompanied by elevated inflammatory cells that are deleterious to pregnancy."
Professor Anton Middelberg, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), University of Adelaide, congratulated Professor Robertson and her team on their achievement.
"The University of Adelaide is proud of Professor Robertson's work on immune dysfunction and the role it plays in early pregnancy loss. We are pleased to see her supported by the MRFF to conduct this important research project," says Professor Middelberg.
"So many people are unfortunately touched by early pregnancy loss, and the research Professor Robertson is carrying out will assist in changing that."
