DC CFAR investigators, Dr. Rachel Scott and Dr. Dan Wang, were awarded a Georgetown University Dean's Toulmin Pilot Project Award for the project entitled "Placental Microvasculature in Pregnancies Complicated by HIV".
Drs. Scott and Wang's research collaboration is in response to the increased prevalence of fetal growth restriction (FGR) in pregnancies complicated by HIV. FGR is poorly understood, but attributed to uteroplacental insufficiency. Their pilot research will adapt the methodology used to identify increased oxidative stress and endothelialdysfunction in gluteal skin biopsies of pre-menopausal women living with HIV, to placental tissue, and will characterize differences in placental microvascular nitric oxide, reactive oxygen species, contractility, and endothelial dysfunction in pregnancies complicated by HIV and growth restriction. This research is the crucial next step to better understanding, diagnosing, and managing the placental pathophysiology associated with adverse fetal and neonatal outcomes in pregnancies complicated by HIV.
The Dean's Toulmin Pilot Project Awards are intended to support and advance the research mission of Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) consistent with the outcomes of the GUMC Strategic Planning Initiative.