This chip reveals the process of formation of the baby’s placenta in the womb

TECHNO ROOM — The tiny device mimics the interface between uterine tissue and placental cells in the early stages of a woman’s pregnancy. Scientists have designed the so-called ‘organ on a chip’ babies that mimic the onset of pregnancy, when the embryo implants itself in the lining of the uterus.

In a report published earlier this year in the journal Communications Nature, device designers detail this new technology. The tiny device is made of clear silicone rubber, the same material used in some contact lenses, and has two chambers, one to hold placenta cells and one for tiny 3D blood vessels. A barrier runs between the two chambers and mimics the uterine tissue that would travel under an embryo implanted in the uterus.

In the experiment, the team used the device to observe how trophoblasts migrate into the uterine blood vessels prior to implantation of the embryo. The trophoblast is a cell that helps the embryo attach itself to the uterus and thus becomes part of the placenta.

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The cells lining blood vessels actually help the trophoblast in its journey by turning on certain genes and secreting various proteins. With their new system, the researchers can watch this process unfold. Research also suggests that certain immune cells may play a key and unknown role in preparing the uterus for implantation.

“Implantation system on a splinter we modeled it to study interactions between the mother and the baby’s placental tissue,” said co-senior author Dr Monica Mainigi, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and director of the Association of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Dell Hospital ‘University of Pennsylvania.

“The reason we followed up on this question is because humans are quite unique, both in how the placenta attaches to the mother and in the interface between the mother’s cells and the placenta,” said Dr. Mainigi. Penn Medicine News.

“Now that we’ve demonstrated the relevance of this system, we can look at individual cell types and get a much better understanding of what each cell type is doing.”

Sumber: Live Science