Pre-eclampsia - signalling inflammation

This research was completed on 4 July 2003

Project Leader	Professor Christopher W G Redman, BA, MB BChir, MA, FRCP, FRCOG, Dr Ian L Sargent, BSc, PhD, MA, Dr Paul T-y Ayuk, MB BS, BSc and Dr Charles A R Boyd, BA, MSc, MA, BM BChir, DPhil
Location	Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and the Women's Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford in conjunction with the Department of Human Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford.
Grant awarded	22 October 1999
Start date	1 March 2000
End date	4 July 2003
Grant amount	£131,893.00
Grant code	SP3509

Pre-eclampsia is a common and dangerous condition which occurs only in pregnancy (or immediately after birth) and can affect both mother and baby. Little is known about the cause of pre-eclampsia and there is currently no effective treatment except to deliver the baby early. In a previous grant from Action Research, these researchers discovered that normal pregnancy excites an intense inflammatory response in the mother and that pre-eclampsia arises when the response is excessive. In this new project, they will investigate the role of one key cellular messenger (nitric oxide) on the impact of the inflammatory response, to provide information which should help to develop better ways of diagnosing and treating the condition.