Normal pregnancy

During pregnancy, the placenta, an organ of fetal origin, is essential for fetal development and growth. The placenta anchors the fetus, produces bioactive factors that temporally adapt maternal metabolism to pregnancy, and performs nutrient transport to the fetus. We are intrigued how these essential functions, e.g. placentation, metabolic adaptions and transport, are regulated by maternal and fetal factors.

Maternal and fetal Human Milk Oligosaccharides in pregnancy

PI Evelyn Jantscher-Krenn

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are complex, unconjugated glycans, highly abundant in human milk, but also found in maternal urine during pregnancy.

Feto-placental angiogenesis

PI Ursula Hiden

Feto-placental angiogenesis is tightly regulated by oxygen tension, circulating factors and, in a paracrine manner, by neighbouring cells.

Lipases and Lipid Signaling

PI Christian Wadsack

Lipid metabolites are well established modulators of inflammation and therefore pharmacological modulation of their biosynthesis and degradation are promising approaches to anti-inflammatory drug treatment.