Amanda Highet

Biography

As a researcher in the Placental Development Laboratory my work focuses on identifying the key regulators of trophoblast cell function and early placental development. During normal pregnancy there is extensive structural remodelling of high-resistance spiral arteries of the uterus into low-resistance, high-capacity vessels to permit adequate blood flow to the placenta. A subpopulation of placental trophoblast cells, the extravillous cytotrophoblasts (EVT), invade these maternal blood vessels where they replace the endothelial lining and degrade most of the musculo-elastic tissue in the vessel walls. The spiral arteries are plugged by invading endovascular EVTs to restrict blood flow and sustain a low oxygen environment of 1-2% oxygen, until the plugs are removed and maternal blood fills the intevillous space. I am investigating how the maintanance of the low oxygen environment promotes trophoblast invasion and differentiation early in the first trimester, and how the placenta responds to the oxidative stress associated with the onset of maternal blood flow.

Research Interest

Medicine,Medical Education,Research,etc