IMPACT OF CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC DRUGS ON TROPHOBLAST ORGANOID FUNCTION AND SECRETORY PROFILE

• Grant number: 24/07813-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): October 01, 2024
• Effective date (End): September 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - General Physiology
• Principal Investigator: Maria Cristina Cintra Gomes Marcondes
• Grantee: Carla de Moraes Salgado
• Supervisor: Katrien de Clercq
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Research place: University of Leuven, Leuven (KU Leuven), Belgium
• Associated to the scholarship: 21/08188-5 - In vitro and in vivo effects of treatment with leucine, progesterone, sitagliptin and liraglutide on inflammatory and cell proliferation pathways mechanisms in placentas exposed to cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin chemotherapy, BP.DR

Abstract

Treating cancer during pregnancy poses a clinical conundrum of optimizing maternal health outcomes while safeguarding fetal well-being. The placenta provides a barrier between mother and fetus, and was shown to be affected by chemotherapeutic agents. However, how chemotherapy affects placental trophoblast development and functioning is largely unknown and cannot be readily investigated due to ethical and practical limitations. Here, the effect of chemotherapy on trophoblast cells will be investigated using state-of-the-art in vitro models such as human trophoblast stem cells and trophoblast organoids. The combined evaluation of molecular and functional alteration, upon chemotherapy exposure will allow for a better estimation of chemotherapy-associated placental defects. Ultimately, this project aims to provide new insight to minimize potential placental toxicity, and improve both short-term and long-term fetal outcomes.