News

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First UK public dialogue on stem cell-based embryo models suggests considerations for research and governance

10 April 2024

A groundbreaking public dialogue on stem cell-based embryo models (SCBEMs) has been published today, comprising the first in-depth exploration of public attitudes towards research involving embryo models in the UK. The dialogue findings will inform development of a new Code of Practice for embryo model research, which will...

‘Mini-placentas’ help scientists study the causes of pre-eclampsia and pregnancy disorders

18 January 2024

Cambridge Reproduction network members have grown ‘mini-placentas’ in the lab and used them to see how the placenta develops and interacts with the inner lining of the womb – findings that could help scientists better understand and, in future, potentially treat pre-eclampsia. The study, published today in Cell Stem Cell...

Cambridge-led study discovers cause of pregnancy sickness – and potential treatment

13 December 2023

A collaborative study led by Professor Sir Stephen O’Rahilly, joined by Cambridge Reproduction members Prof Gordon Smith and Prof Steve Charnock Jones , has shown why many women experience nausea and vomiting during pregnancy – and why some women, including the Duchess of Cambridge, become so sick they need to be admitted...

Risk of premature birth from smoking while pregnant more than double previous estimates

7 November 2023

Cambridge researchers have found that women who smoke during pregnancy are 2.6 times more likely to give birth prematurely compared to non-smokers – more than double the previous estimate. The study, published today in the International Journal of Epidemiology, also found that smoking meant that the baby was four times...

Public dialogue on research involving early human embryos

25 October 2023

The findings of a foundational UK public dialogue on human embryo research, run in collaboration with Cambridge Reproduction, have been published. Part of the Wellcome-funded Human Developmental Biology Initiative (HDBI). The HDBI is an ambitious scientific endeavour to advance our understanding of human development. The...

Real Families: Stories of Change - new exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum

6 October 2023

Beyond the nuclear family. An unprecedented Fitzwilliam exhibition explores the family, informed by psychological research. Real Families: Stories of Change considers the idea of family through the eyes of artists. Historic works reveal how family life has been portrayed throughout art history while modern and contemporary...

Brown mouse. Credit: Understanding Animal Research

Unborn babies use ‘greedy’ gene from dads to ‘remote-control’ mums into feeding them extra food

11 July 2023

A study in mice has found that fetuses use a copy of a gene inherited from their dad to force their mum to release as much nutrition as possible during pregnancy. The unborn baby ‘remote controls’ its mother’s metabolism so the two are in a nutritional tug of war. The mother’s body wants the baby to survive but needs to...

Human stem cell embedded in a 3D matrix, Cryo SEM

Cambridge Reproduction launches project to provide guidance on research using human stem cell-based embryo models

16 June 2023

The University of Cambridge has launched a project to develop the first governance framework for research involving stem cell-based human embryo models in the UK. The Governance of Stem Cell-Based Embryo Models (G-SCBEM) project is led by Cambridge Reproduction and brings together scientists, legal scholars and bioethics...

Father and son talking. Credit: Jose Luis Pelaez Inc / DigitalVision via Getty Images

Assisted reproduction kids grow up just fine – but it may be better to tell them early about biological origins

13 April 2023

Landmark study finds no difference in psychological wellbeing or quality of family relationships between children born by assisted reproduction (egg or sperm donation or surrogacy) and those born naturally at age 20. However, findings suggest that telling children about their biological origins early – before they start...

cells of the placenta. Credit: Kenny Roberts, Wellcome Sanger Institute

Cell mapping and ‘mini placentas’ give new insights into human pregnancy

29 March 2023

Researchers have mapped the complete trajectory of placental development, helping shed new light on why pregnancy disorders happen. Researchers from the University of Cambridge, the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI), Switzerland, EMBL’s European Bioinformatics...