Placenta-on-a-chip to study healthy and stressed pregnancies
Official title: Developing trimester-specific placenta organ-on-chips to model healthy and oxidative stress and inflammation-associated pathologies
Funded at University of Texas Med Br Galveston · NIH-11313830 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A placental–maternal interface chip is being developed to model normal pregnancies and those affected by oxidative stress and inflammation, to help find ways to reduce pregnancy complications.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Texas Med Br Galveston NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Galveston, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2023 |
| Project end | April 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $616,487 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HD110400-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11313830 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are pregnant people at risk for placental dysfunction or those interested in contributing biological samples for placental research, under appropriate consent.
✕Less likely to help
Pregnancies not affected by placental dysfunction or people not involved in placental research may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project will create a multi-chamber placenta–decidua organ-on-chip that mimics the fetal and maternal sides of the placenta across the three trimesters with realistic oxygen levels. Researchers will use this model to study how oxidative stress and inflammation contribute to adverse pregnancy outcomes and to test potential interventions. The work aims to provide a human-relevant platform that overcomes limits of current placenta models and could guide new therapies to prevent preterm birth and related complications.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the model could speed development of safe therapies to prevent placental dysfunction and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
How similar studies have gone: Other organ-on-chip approaches have shown promise, but placenta-specific PMi-OOC represents a novel and more human-relevant model.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Texas Med Br Galveston
Galveston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Richardson, Lauren Stafford — University of Texas Med Br Galveston
- Study coordinator: Richardson, Lauren Stafford
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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.