Development of a novel therapy for fetal hypoxia used by artificial oxygen carriers (hemoglobin vesicles)

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24500525
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Biomedical engineering/Biological material science
• Research Institution: National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry
• Principal Investigator: LI Heng 独立行政法人国立精神・神経医療研究センター, 神経研究所 疾病研究第2部, 科研費研究員 (70621994)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): INAGAKI Masumi 独立行政法人国立精神・神経医療研究センター, 精神保健研究所. 知的障害研究部, 部長 (70203198) ; SAKAI Hiromi 奈良県立医科大学, 医学部・化学教室, 教授 (70318830) ; OHTA Hidenobu 独立行政法人国立精神・神経医療研究センター, 精神保健研究所. 知的障害研究部, 室長 (80422103)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 人工赤血球 / 胎児脳 / 胎児低酸素血症

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Pre-eclampsia affects approximately 5% of all pregnant women and remains a major cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. The pathophysiology involves insufficient trophoblast invasion, resulting in incomplete narrow placental spiral artery remodeling. Placental insufficiency, which limits the maternal-fetal exchange of gas and nutrients, leads to fetal intrauterine growth restriction. In this study, in our attempt to develop a new therapy for pre-eclampsia, we directly rescued placental and fetal hypoxia with nano-scale size artificial oxygen carriers (hemoglobin vesicles). The present study is the first to demonstrate that artificial oxygen carriers successfully treat placental hypoxia, decrease maternal plasma levels of anti-angiogenic proteins and ameliorate fetal growth restriction in the pre-eclampsia rat model.

Free Research Field

神経科学