The Human Placenta Project: Placental Structure and Function in Real Time

May 27–28, 2014

Human Placenta Project logo

Sponsor/Co-Sponsor(s)

NICHD

Location

Bolger Center, 9600 Newbridge Drive, Potomac, Maryland

Purpose

The placenta is the least understood human organ and arguably one of the more important, not only for the health of a woman and her fetus during pregnancy but also for the lifelong health of both. To address this lack of knowledge, the NICHD believes a concerted effort, the Human Placenta Project, would make substantial inroads.

Initial goals of the Human Placenta Project are to:

  • Improve current methods and develop new technologies for real-time assessment of placental development across pregnancy.
  • Apply these technologies to understand and monitor, in real time, placental development and function in normal and abnormal pregnancies.
  • Develop and evaluate non-invasive markers for prediction of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
  • Understand the contributions of placental development to long term health and disease.
  • Develop interventions to prevent abnormal placental development, and hence improve pregnancy outcome.

This meeting assembles experts who study the placenta, and other creative thinkers who have never previously applied their approaches to the placenta, along with potential partners to help define the scientific opportunities and approaches, long-term goals, intermediate metrics and deliverables, and timetable of the Project.

Attendance at this meeting is by invitation only.

More Information

Contact

David Weinberg, PhD
NICHDHPP@mail.nih.gov
301-526-0349

Please note: Views expressed during NICHD-sponsored events do not necessarily reflect the opinions or the official positions of NICHD, NIH, or HHS.
top of pageBACK TO TOP