Perinatal Basic Science Laboratory
Head of laboratory
On this page:
Overview of research program
Reproductive immunology
Our aim in this research area is to:
- develop new strategies to combat pregnancy complications and through identifying the molecules responsible for immune modulation in pregnancy
- format a basis for development of new treatments to combat immune conditions.
Placenta and vascular biology
This work will:
- discover new knowledge about the control of trophoblast differentiation and invasion
- lead to interventions that can potentially enhance placental development.
Further, studies on angiogenesis (new blood vessel formation) are being conducted to:
- understand why a significant reduction of blood flow is observed in intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), which affects 4-7% of all pregnancies.
Major funding sources
- NHMRC
- NSCCAHS
- University of Sydney
- Kids for Life
Selected publications
- Seeho SK, Park JH, Rowe J, Morris JM, Gallery ED. Villous explant culture using early gestation tissue from ongoing pregnancies with known normal outcomes: the effect of oxygen on trophoblast outgrowth and migration. Human Reproduction 2008 23(5):1170-9
- Xie L, Galettis A, Morris J, Jackson C, Twigg SM, Gallery ED. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression is necessary for monocyte adhesion to the placental bed endothelium and is increased in type 1 diabetic human pregnancy. Diabetes-Metabolism Research and Reviews 2008 24(4):294-300
- Wang Y, Tasevski V, Wallace EM, Gallery ED, Morris JM. Reduced maternal serum concentrations of angiopoietin-2 in the first trimester precede intrauterine growth restriction associated with placental insufficiency. British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 2007 114(11):1427-31
- McCracken SA, Hadfield K, Rahimi Z, Gallery ED, Morris JM. NF-kappaB-regulated suppression of T-bet in T cells represses Th1 immune responses in pregnancy. European Journal of Immunology 2007 37(5):1386-96
- Nutt JC, Willis CC, Morris JM, Gallery ED. Isolating pure populations of monocytes from the blood of pregnant women: comparison of flotation in iodixanol with elutriation. Journal of Immunological Methods 2004 293(1-2):215-8
- McCracken SA, Gallery E, Morris JM. Pregnancy-specific down-regulation of NF-kappa B expression in T cells in humans is essential for the maintenance of the cytokine profile required for pregnancy success. Journal of Immunology 2004 172(7):4583-91
Major collaborations
- University of Adelaide
- University of New South Wales
- Monash University
- Oxford University
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine
- University of Pennsylvania
- Wayne State University
- Hollings Cancer Center
- Medical University of South Carolina
- Duke University
- Harvard University
