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Huge congratulations to Aleks Stanic, MD PhD, of the UW Ob-Gyn Divisions of
Reproductive Endocrinology and Reproductive Science! Stanic received a Basil
O'Connor Starter Scholar Research Award grant from the March of Dimes to
support the research project “The Role of Dendritic Cell-Innate Lymphoid Cell
Cross-Talk in Preeclampsia and Normal Pregnancy.” The $150,000 grant starts
April 1, 2018 and runs through March 31, 2020.
The abstract from Stanic’s grant:
"Preeclampsia is a leading cause of maternal/fetal morbidity
and mortality in the US and worldwide. Fundamentally, preeclampsia is thought
to be a result of inadequate placental vascular development, a process
dependent on maternal immune cells. A subset of immune cells - innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) -
are now recognized as key regulators of immunity in many tissues, but
their function in the organization of the placenta and role in preeclampsia is
unknown. This project aims to determine the
role of ILCs and their interactions with other immune cells in the key events
required for normal placental development and consequent healthy pregnancy.
Furthermore, we will determine if ILCs play a role in preeclampsia and begin to
decipher the means by which they might do so. We will use advanced imagining
and cell assessment technologies to gain a novel insight into the mystery of
placental development. Taken together, these studies will markedly
advance the scientific and clinical understanding of preeclampsia and open new
diagnostic/therapeutic avenues."
Congratulations, Dr. Stanic!
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