A placenta chip that mimics the maternal-fetal barrier has been created by researchers to help in understanding how this vital organ works. The chip consists of two chambers separated by a semi-permiable membrane with one chamber holding maternal cells from a delivered placenta while the other holds the fetal cells extracted from the umbilical cord. Previous placenta studies relied on animal and human lab-grown cells, a method that did not always give the most accurate results. On the other hand, it would take a tremendous amount of time and resources to carry out the research on humans, not to mention the risks on the developing fetus.
This chip that has been devised by Roberto Romero from the National Institute of Child Health is therefore a welcome advancement in pregnancy studies allowing researchers to study how different materials move between the mother and her unborn child across the placenta. The process will not only be more efficient, it will also be a lot more cheaper that when doing the experiments on animals.
You can read more about the Placenta on Chip here.
Please come visit again. The easiest way to do this is to subscribe to this blog. Leave your email address in the dialogue box at the right sidebar and you will receive new posts in your inbox as soon as they are published.
You can also follow us on social media by liking our Facebook page and following us on Twitter.
Until we see each other again,
