Newswise — The fetus in the womb is wholly dependent on the blood bond with the mother. Spotting irregularities in the flow across the placenta could therefore be crucial for detecting fetal distress, but no reliable method is currently available for monitoring the flow or detecting other signs of the distress in its early stages.

Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, can be safely performed during pregnancy, but today’s MRI methods are not suitable, due to problems like the motion of the fetus or the mother’s breathing, the varied structure of placental tissue, and the tangled maze formed by maternal and fetal blood vessels.

In a new study in mice conducted with advanced MRI methods, Weizmann Institute scientists have now revealed, in unprecedented detail, the dynamics of the flow of fluids within the placenta. This feat was all the more impressive given that a mouse placenta is around the size of a dime. As reported recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), they managed to identify three different types of fluid-filled structures: maternal blood vessels, which account for two-thirds of the blood flow in the placenta; fetal vessels, which account for about one-quarter of the flow; and embryo-derived cells infiltrating the mother’s vasculature, which account for the rest of the flow and in which the exchange of fluids between mother and fetus takes place. The researchers also found that in maternal vessels, blood flows by diffusion, whereas in fetal vessels, the flow, stimulated by the pumping of the growing fetus’s heart, is much faster. In the cells that had infiltrated the mother’s vasculature, the dynamics of the flow follows an intermediate pattern, driven by both diffusion and pumping.

Two sophisticated MRI methods were combined to enable the study: one geared toward monitoring diffusion, and another directed at identifying structures with the help of a contrast material. They could be applied successfully in large part thanks to an innovative scanning approach, spatiotemporal encoding (SPEN), a Weizmann Institute technique. Because SPEN is ultrafast and makes it possible to separately encode signals from such different materials as air or fat, it allowed the researchers to overcome disturbances created by movement and the variability of placental tissue.

If developed further for safe and reliable use in humans, this combined approach holds great promise as a noninvasive means of detecting fetal distress caused by disruptions in the placental flow. It can be particularly valuable when fast decisions about inducing labor need to be made; for example, with complications of pregnancy such as preeclampsia.

The study was a joint effort of two laboratories: one headed by Prof. Michal Neeman of the Department of Biological Regulation and the other by Prof. Lucio Frydman of the Department of Chemical Physics. The research was performed by two graduate students, Reut Avni from Prof. Neeman’s lab and Eddy Solomon from Prof. Frydman’s lab, together with Ron Hadas and Dr. Tal Raz of the Department of Biological Regulation and Dr. Peter Bendel of Chemical Research Support, in collaboration with Prof. Joel Richard Garbow from Washington University in St. Louis.

Prof. Lucio Frydman’s research is supported by the Helen and Martin Kimmel Institute for Magnetic Resonance Research, which he heads; the Helen and Martin Kimmel Award for Innovative Investigation; the Ilse Katz Institute for Material Sciences and Magnetic Resonance Research; the Adelis Foundation; the Mary Ralph Designated Philanthropic Fund of the Jewish Community Endowment Fund; Gary and Katy Leff, Calabasas, CA; Paul and Tina Gardner, Austin, TX; a Seventh Framework European Research Council Advanced Grant; and the Perlman Family Foundation.

Prof. Michal Neeman’s research is supported by the Henry Chanoch Krenter Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Genomics, which she heads; the Clore Center for Biological Physics, which she heads; the Kirk Center for Childhood Cancer and Immunological Disorders, which she heads; the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust; the Carolito Stiftung; the Adelis Foundation; Andrew Adelson, Canada; the US-Israel Binational Science Foundation; and a Seventh Framework European Research Council Advanced Grant. Prof. Neeman is the incumbent of the Helen and Morris Mauerberger Professorial Chair in Biological Sciences.

The Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, is one of the world’s top-ranking multidisciplinary research institutions. The Institute’s 2,700-strong scientific community engages in research addressing crucial problems in medicine and health, energy, technology, agriculture, and the environment. Outstanding young scientists from around the world pursue advanced degrees at the Weizmann Institute’s Feinberg Graduate School. The discoveries and theories of Weizmann Institute scientists have had a major impact on the wider scientific community, as well as on the quality of life of millions of people worldwide.

Journal Link: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 111, no. 28