The placenta develops during pregnancy so that the fetus can receive oxygen and nutrients from the mother. Now, an international team of scientists has managed to create a placenta on a chip to study its vital function in depth.
The artificial placenta mimics the transfer of substances from the mother to the fetus like a normal one.
Because it may prove dangerous for the fetus to have the placenta examined during pregnancy, the innovative achievement can serve numerous diagnostic and research purposes.
Until now, scientists have studied the placenta's function only in animal models or in standard cell models that were developed in the lab.
The placenta on a chip includes cells from the mother and cells of the fetus that were taken from the umbilical cord.
A related study is published in the Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine.
