Understanding Placental Health in Pregnancy with MRI
Functional and Radiomic Magnetic Resonance Profiling in Normal and Hypertensive Placentas
This project uses advanced MRI scans to understand how the placenta works in healthy pregnancies and in those with high blood pressure.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Ut Southwestern Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Dallas, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11158672 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
We are looking for pregnant women, both with and without chronic high blood pressure, to participate in this imaging project. You would receive special MRI scans during your second trimester to help us see how blood flows, how water moves, and how much oxygen is in your placenta. By comparing these images between healthy pregnancies and those with high blood pressure, we hope to find early signs of problems like preeclampsia or restricted fetal growth. This information could help doctors better predict and manage pregnancy complications in the future.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are pregnant women, either with chronic high blood pressure or those with healthy pregnancies, who are in their second trimester.
Not a fit: Patients who are not pregnant or are outside the second trimester of pregnancy would not directly benefit from participating in this specific imaging project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: This work could lead to better ways for doctors to identify and manage pregnancy complications like preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction earlier.
How similar studies have performed: While MRI is used in pregnancy, this approach of combining functional MRI with radiomics to characterize placental health in chronic hypertension is a novel application.
Where this research is happening
Dallas, United States
- Ut Southwestern Medical Center — Dallas, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Herrera, Christina Lynn — Ut Southwestern Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Herrera, Christina Lynn
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 below.