Developmental pathology

The placenta is the first organ to form in human development and supports the fetus throughout gestation. It exchanges fetal gas and nutrients, carries away wastes, forms a barrier against the outside world, and induces the hormonal and immune changes of pregnancy.

The placenta is also the locus for most diseases in pregnancy, alternately driving and showing changes from preeclampsia, preterm birth, gestational diabetes, and others. Like the black box on an airplane, examination of the placenta is a key step after fetal loss. Beyond pregnancy, placental abnormalities have been linked to childhood asthma, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Yet, robust, quantitative descriptions of the placenta in health and disease are lacking, and many diseases lack well-described anomalies.

This project is developing computational tools and data resources to advance computational perinatal pathology. These tools will be used to describe, predict, and link placental morphology across gestation, health, and disease.

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