{"id":191367,"date":"2018-11-25T09:35:03","date_gmt":"2018-11-25T15:35:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=191367"},"modified":"2018-11-23T16:22:33","modified_gmt":"2018-11-23T22:22:33","slug":"research-immune-system-pregnancy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/research-immune-system-pregnancy\/","title":{"rendered":"Researchers stunned at ‘complexity’ of how mom\u2019s immune system supports preborn baby"},"content":{"rendered":"
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From the earliest stages of pregnancy, a mother\u2019s immune system supports the growth and development of her child. The mother\u2019s body shelters a rapidly developing human being with unique genetic material for nine months without her immune system attacking the baby, and scientists have not known exactly how — but they’re getting closer now.<\/p>\n

Science Magazine reports<\/a> that researchers looked more closely at this immunological wonder, and successfully \u201ccaptured the intricate molecular negotiations that help keep both fetus and mom safe until the baby is delivered.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ: <\/a>12 amazing facts that prove the preborn\u2019s humanity in the first trimester<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Commenting on the research project, immunologist Sumati Rajagopalan said, \u201cThe complexity is stunning.\u201d Rajagopalan works for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, Maryland.<\/p>\n

Fellow researcher Sarah Teichmann, a computational biologist at the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Cambridge, told Science, \u201cThe maternal-fetal interface is not well understood, but is crucial for a successful pregnancy.\u201d In order to gain understanding, researchers examined the gene activity of single cells from the mother and placental and uterine tissue. Identifying 35 types of cells, the researchers were able to examine how the various cells interact to support the growth of the baby and the continuation of the pregnancy.<\/p>\n