The NIH Human Placenta Project happened over the weekend. It’s very exciting to know that research into the functioning of the placenta is being conducted on such a vast level. They have released videos of the meetings, you can watch the video of Understanding Human Placental Structure and Function in Real Time (Day 1) online […]
Research
Oldest Known Placenta Fossil Found
The oldest known remains of a mammalian placenta have been found inside the 48-million-year-old fossil of an early ancestor of a horse – with its unborn foal still inside. The remarkably well-preserved body of a horse-like species known as Eurohippus messelensism was discovered at the Messel Pit, a disused shale quarry in Darmstadt, Germany. […]
Placenta Points Way to Cancer Cure
Scientists were hoping to create a vaccine against malaria that they could give to pregnant women. What they may have found instead is a weapon against cancer. Danish scientists from the University of Copenhagen and the University of British Columbia (UBC) discovered that the carbohydrate which the malaria parasite attaches itself to in […]
Nobel Prize for Traditional Chinese Medicine
The prestigious 2015 Nobel Prize for Medicine goes to Tu Youyou of the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine for her discovery of “a novel therapy against malaria.” This award is particularly special – Tu is the 12th woman to receive it, the first Chinese scientist, and only the third Chinese citizen to win […]
Can stem cells from the placenta aid in arthritis treatment?
Arthritis is such a common ailment but researchers have discovered a not so common treatment for it. “More than a million people a year consult their GP about osteoarthritis, which is characterised by damage in and around a joint. As a result of wear and tear, the cartilage, the strong, smooth surface that lines bones […]
Autism risk spotted in abnormal placentas
Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine found that abnormal placentas may be able to help diagnose risk for autism in newborns. “Kliman and his team examined 117 placentas from infants of at-risk families, those with one or more previous children with autism. These families were participating in a study called Markers of Autism Risk […]