Grant Application by Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology Supported by the Russian Science Foundation

The project to develop a microfluidic placenta-on-a-chip model for studying various aspects of normal and pathological placental physiology, including one of the severe pregnancy complications—preeclampsia—has won in the competition "Conducting Fundamental and Exploratory Scientific Research by Individual Scientific Groups"

The results of the Russian Science Foundation (RSF) grant competition for the event "Conducting Fundamental and Exploratory Scientific Research by Individual Scientific Groups" have been announced. The application from the team of scientists from the Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, including staff from the Laboratory of Molecular Physiology and the International Laboratory of Microphysiological Systems, was supported by the competition committee.

The project, titled "Microfluidic Placenta-on-a-Chip Model for Studying Preeclampsia," led by the Dean of the Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Alexander Tonevitsky, aims to develop a cellular model of the placenta to study preeclampsia, a common pregnancy complication that can result in pregnancy loss and maternal death.

Evgeny Knyazev, Head of the Laboratory of Molecular Physiology, comments: "Studying certain aspects of preeclampsia in humans is impossible due to ethical concerns and the balance of benefits versus risks. Animal models, particularly rodents and primates, which have placentas more similar to humans, are alternatives. However, experimental animals can differ from humans at the molecular structure, gene expression, physiology, and anatomy levels. Additionally, the high cost of animal maintenance and ethical issues push scientists to seek new models for studying the human placenta. A compromise between human and animal research is the study of human placenta models based on cells grown outside the body, particularly microfluidic placenta-on-a-chip models, which replicate the cellular microenvironment from a real organism and include a flow of nutrients that mimics blood flow. The model being developed can be used to study the transfer of substances through the placenta from mother to child and vice versa, as well as to investigate normal and pathological processes occurring in the placenta."