PhD defence M. (Michelle) Broekhuizen

Summary: A deficiency in the development of the placenta may lead to preeclampsia: a disease in which a malfunctioning placenta secretes factors that cause high blood pressure and organ damage in the mother and poor growth of the child. Yet, a treatment for preeclampsia is still missing. In life-threatening situations this forces doctors to deliver the child and the placenta often too early. Even though the mother's symptoms disappear rapidly, the disease continues to affect the health of mother and child throughout their lives. It is thus essential to develop a therapy for this severe disease.
The placenta is a very unique organ as its birth allows us to conduct research in human material. Therefore, the results may be useful in clinical practice without too much delay. Since a disease can best be treated at its cause, we investigated differences between healthy placentas and those of women with preeclampsia.
This research can be divided into four parts: 1) the processing and effects of tryptophan – a nutrient that we take in via our diet – in healthy and diseased placentas 2) the possibility to improve the function of the placenta using existing medication, 3) the identification of placental immune alterations in preeclampsia, and 4) the placenta as a model for the health of the child.