Often making the headlines amid claims as a tasty postpartum snack, the placenta is a complex organ key to fostering new life. Placental dysfunction underlies complications of pregnancy such as pre-eclampsia and fetal growth restriction for which, in spite of advances in clinical care, premature delivery remains the only cure.
Babies born prematurely are at an increased risk of short-term complications, neonatal and adulthood disease. Despite this high burden of disease for pregnant women and their infants, there has been little success in developing therapeutic options that target the underlying placental disease in these cases.
Amongst other factors, the legacy of Thalidomide in the 1960’s has compelled researchers to consider novel strategies to combat complications of pregnancy. In this talk, we will discuss recent studies that have investigated novel options such as dietary supplementation, drug repurposing and targeted therapies, and highlight the challenges faced by researchers in this field.

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About the speaker:
Dr Kirsty McIntyre is a Lecturer in the School of Medicine at the University of Glasgow. Her doctoral research, conducted at The University of Manchester, focused on understanding how a poorly functioning placenta can lead to small and unwell babies. She also co-founded the Have You Heard? project that aims to meet with underserved adult groups to discuss how science is represented in the news and to offer some tools to have in mind when reading science news stories.
You can find her on Twitter: @_kirstymcintyre

Drop-in event. No ticket required, just show up!
Doors at 7.15, kickoff at 7.30
This is event is free to attend, although we will be asking for donations at the end of the talk. Participants are under no obligation whatsoever to donate, however please rest assured that the money we collect doesn’t end up in anyone’s pocket – it is used to fund our overhead costs, and travel/accommodation for our speakers who come from further afield.

Accessibility: As per the policy of the Admiral Bar, access to the venue “can only be provided to patrons who are sufficiently mobile and capable of independently evacuating premises, or with the minimum of assistance”. Unfortunately, this leaves the basement inaccessible to most wheelchair users.