AI Summary
Scientists have discovered that the cellular crosstalk between a mother and her offspring during pregnancy is more complex and long-lasting than previously thought. This new understanding can potentially help prevent complications in high-risk pregnancies and advance research in fields such as vaccine development and autoimmunity. The study was led by Sing Sing Way, MD, PhD, from Cincinnati Children's.
Scientists have known for decades that pregnancy requires a mother’s body to adjust so that her immune system does not attack the growing fetus as if it were a hostile foreign invader. Yet despite learning a great deal more about the immunology of pregnancy in recent years, a new study shows that the cellular crosstalk between a mother and her offspring is even more complex and long-lasting than expected.
The study was published online Sept. 21, 2023, in the journal Science by a research team led by Sing Sing Way, MD, PhD, Division of Infectious Diseases at Cincinnati Children’s and the Center for Inflammation and Tolerance.
By investigating how prior pregnancy changes the outcomes of future pregnancies–or in other words how mothers remember their babies–our findings add a new dimension to our understanding of how pregnancy works. Nature has designed built-in resiliency in mothers that generally reduces the risk of preterm birth, preeclampsia, and stillbirth in women who have a prior healthy pregnancy. If we can learn ways to mimic these strategies, we may be better able to prevent complications in high-risk pregnancies.”
Sing Sing Way, MD, PhD, Division of Infectious Diseases at Cincinnati Children’s
In addition to potentially making progress against the leading cause of infant mortality, Way says understanding how the immune system changes during pregnancy could influence other research fields including vaccine development, autoimmunity research, and how to prevent organ transplant rejection.
How moms remember their babies
In 2012, Way and colleagues published a