Lab-grown placental tissue to understand preeclampsia
Official title: Placental Organoids to Model Preeclampsia
Funded at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center · NIH-11248035 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will make miniature lab-grown placentas from donated cells to better understand what causes preeclampsia in pregnant people.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cedars-Sinai Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project start | December 15, 2022 |
| Project end | November 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $417,500 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL167268-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11248035 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants would be people willing to donate tissue or cells (for example, skin or blood samples) from pregnancies affected by preeclampsia or from uncomplicated pregnancies for comparison.
✕Less likely to help
People currently pregnant and seeking immediate treatments are unlikely to get direct benefit because this is lab-based research developing models and potential targets rather than a clinical therapy.
What this research studies
Researchers will turn donated cells (like skin cells) into stem cells and then grow three-dimensional placental tissue in the lab that mimics first-trimester placentas. They will create organoids from pregnancies with and without preeclampsia to compare how the tissues function and release proteins such as sFLT1 that can harm the mother. The team will use these organoids to study early disease processes that are hard to access in real pregnancies and to screen medicines that might correct harmful changes. This work uses donated human cells and lab-grown tissue rather than testing experimental treatments in pregnant people.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could reveal new drug targets or lab tests to help prevent or treat preeclampsia before it harms mother or baby.
How similar studies have gone: Organoid models have provided useful insights for other organs, but creating trophoblast placental organoids from patient-derived stem cells for preeclampsia is a relatively new and not yet widely used approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Karumanchi, S. Ananth — Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Karumanchi, S. Ananth
Related research
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Placental support cells and fetal red blood cell quality in preeclampsia
This grant studies how placental support cells in preeclampsia affect the development and quality of a baby’s red blood cells.
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Epigenetic clues to preeclampsia in pregnancy
This grant explores how epigenetic changes and paternal factors may contribute to preeclampsia, a condition that can affect pregnancy health.
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Environmental air pollutants linked to preeclampsia risk in pregnancy
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Dynamic risk prediction and subtyping of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy
A digital health approach uses AI to spot early warning signs of preeclampsia and gestational hypertension from pregnancy data, so clinicians can tailor care for pregnant people.
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Folate Receptor Beta and its Role in Preeclampsia
This study explores how a protein called folate receptor beta on placental immune cells may drive or worsen preeclampsia in pregnancy, with hopes of finding new ways to prevent or treat the condition.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.