Placenta in Health and Disease - Charles University Research Team

We have just returned from yet another great meeting - the EPPW (European Placenta Perfusion Workshop) held at Erasmus University, Rotterdam. Many great talks (including ours 😝 Mohammad Rida Ghaddar Veronika Váchalová) and plenty of socializing 🍺🥩😉
Looking forward to the next conference - IFPA (International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists) in Montreal 🇨🇦

Fully Funded Postdoctoral Research Positions opened in the Placenta in Health and Disease research team. If you are interested, read the details and contact us. Please feel free to share the ad 🙏

We are happy to announce that our first paper on cannabis in pregnancy has been published in the esteemed journal Toxicology (Q1) 🥳👍

The surge in cannabis use among pregnant women has raised significant concerns due to its potential negative impacts on the developing fetus; however, there remains a lack of comprehensive understanding in the scientific community. Addressing this critical gap, we have recently started several research projects on investigating the effects of cannabis use during pregnancy.
Our study sheds light on the intricate mechanisms at play, particularly regarding the disruption of placental endocrine functions and alterations in tryptophan catabolism. These findings suggest potential implications for the regulation of serotonin and kynurenine pathways within the human placenta.

You can read the full text here:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0300483X24000945

Stay tuned, there is more to come 😉

Big thank you to all co-authors:
Ramon Portillo
Cilia Abad
Tetiana Synova
Rona Karahoda
Frantisek Staud

The image below is AI-generated under the supervision of Ramon Portillo

We are thrilled to announce that our team has once again made us proud at the Student Scientific Conference held at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Charles University! 🌟✨
👏 Amongst the talented candidates, we are delighted to share that Michaela Medková has secured the SECOND PLACE in the Biology section! 🥈🔬
🌟 Project Title: "Targeting Placental Inflammation: Investigating the effects of metformin on NLRP3 inflammasome"; 👩‍🔬 Supervisor: PharmDr. Rona Karahoda, PhD.
🎉🏆 Let's give a big round of applause to Michaela for this outstanding achievement! Stay tuned as we cheer on Michaela as she advances to the transnational round of the Student Scientific Conference in Zentiva, Prague! 🌍🔬

This joke with Santa vs Research Grants never gets old; we are happy that the Czech Health Research Council funded our proposal, "The (patho)physiological role of the endocannabinoid system in pregnancy maintenance and preterm birth," for the next four years!

So far this year, the Gods have been great to us - three papers accepted (others under revision) and a major grant received... 🙏🙏🙏

Thinking of it, our switch to study cannabis gets us really "high" 👍😀

Really proud of the placenta team👍:
Cilia Abad
Ramon Portillo
Rona Karahoda
Veronika Váchalová
Tetiana Synova
Fiona Kumnova
Mohammad Rida Ghaddar
Frantisek Staud

🔬📚🌟 We're thrilled to share our latest paper "Developmental expression of catecholamine system in the human placenta and rat fetoplacental unit" just published in Scientific Reports. In this study, we tackle the intricate complexities surrounding the synthesis, release, and regulation of catecholamines in the fetoplacental unit - a field of research not well studied until now. We've delved into the expression of enzymes and transporters responsible for the synthesis, degradation, and transport of norepinephrine and dopamine in both the human placenta and the rat fetoplacental unit. Our findings shed new light on this crucial aspect of pregnancy physiology, unraveling key insights into how these neurotransmitters influence placental functions and fetal development. Dive into the full paper here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-57481-5 🤰🧬🔍

🌟 We're thrilled to share our latest study investigating spontaneous preterm birth and its impact on placental metabolites, published in EXCLI!

🔍 Our team examined placental tissues from a cohort of women who experienced spontaneous preterm birth alongside healthy full-term deliveries. The results? Fascinating insights into the complexities of preterm birth and its potential metabolic underpinnings! 🧪💡

🔬 Using cutting-edge techniques, we identified significant changes in 34 polar metabolites related to energy metabolism and biochemical activity. Even more exciting, we uncovered two molecular subtypes of placentas from spontaneous preterm pregnancies, shedding new light on this critical area of obstetrics. 🤔💡

💬 This research, a collaborative effort between our team and the Department of Chemistry (Katedra chemie PřF UHK; University of Hradec Králové) and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Fakultní Nemocnice Hradec Králové), marks a significant step forward in understanding preterm birth and its implications for neonatal health.

Full text: https://www.excli.de/index.php/excli/article/view/6785

Check out our latest study! 🤰🔬 Explore how placental bacterial and viral infections disturb tryptophan metabolism, affecting serotonin and kynurenine pathways. Uncover how this disruption may impact fetal neurodevelopment. 🦠🚀

https://academic.oup.com/biolreprod/advance-article/doi/10.1093/biolre/ioad181/7494695?searchresult=1

Cilia Abad Rona Karahoda Anna Orbisová Ramon Portillo Frantisek Staud

Our team is attending in Rotorua, New Zealand 🇳🇿 Join the workshop 11 on Friday, 8th of September to hear more on our groups work using the placenta perfusion model!
Rona Karahoda Frantisek Staud

After exactly one year since meeting in Vancouver, another great night out with my fellow researchers and friends - Alex, Juli - and my ex(student) Hanča - this time in Los Angeles 🇺🇸👍🙏

Our recent paper on serotonin homeostasis in the human placenta was published in Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology (Q1). It is good news on its own, but the comments of Reviewer 2 (who gave us really hard time during the review process) after the paper was accepted were extremely pleasing (see below) 🥰
Reviewer 2 Must Be Stopped! should read this 😁😆

Reviewer 2
"I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the authors for their dedicated efforts in revising the manuscript in response to the review comments. Your meticulous attention to detail and willingness to incorporate the suggested revisions are truly commendable. I am delighted to see how effectively you have integrated the feedback, making the necessary enhancements to the content. Your commitment to refining the work not only demonstrates your professionalism but also contributes significantly to the overall quality of the manuscript. Thank you for valuing the input and taking the time to ensure that the concerns raised were addressed comprehensively. I am genuinely pleased with the outcomes of your efforts and the collaborative spirit that you have displayed throughout this process. Your responsiveness and diligence are greatly appreciated."

Thank you for your great help and collaboration:
Rona Karahoda
Cilia Abad
Hanča Horáčková
Veronika Váchalová
Frantisek Staud
and all colleagues and collaborators from Germany and China

Characterization of a human placental clearance system to regulate serotonin levels in the fetoplacental unit - Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology Background Serotonin (5-HT) is a biogenic monoamine with diverse functions in multiple human organs and tissues. During pregnancy, tightly regulated levels of 5-HT in the fetoplacental unit are critical for proper placental functions, fetal development, and programming. Despite being a non-neuronal....

Our team attended the 16th Placental Perfusion Workshop at the Medical University of Graz 🇦🇹

A really fruitful meeting with an inspiring program and awesome social events (including delicious Styrian dishes and wine)! Tetiana and Cilia expertly presented our latest data on placental endocannabinoid system and effects of cannabis on placental endocrine functions. Moreover, Rona gave a joint talk with Prof. Christiane Albrecht from the University of Bern on placental steroidogenesis, a collaborative work of two teams.

Thank you to the organizers, Christian Wadsack & Birgit Hirschmugl from the Medical University of Graz, and all the other participants for a lovely meeting.

Frantisek, Veronika, Fiona, Mohammad

So proud of Hanča defending her PhD thesis with flying colors 👍👏🙏
These are the moments when you forget all the experiments failed, papers rejected and grant applications declined - because eventually it all makes sense!
We are sorry that you are leaving us 😢 - but wish you all the best for your new life chapter - a postdoc in Los Angeles with Alex Bonnin ❤️
Frantisek Staud
Cilia Abad
Rona Karahoda
Ramon Portillo
Kasin Yadunandam
Veronika Váchalová
Tetiana Synova
Mohamed Nagi

Team building weekend for the Placenta Team in the mountains 👍❤️👏
Veronika Váchalová
Cilia Abad
Rona Karahoda
Tetiana Synova
Ramon Portillo
Hanča Horáčková
Mohammad Rida Ghaddar

Happy International Day of Women and Girls in Science 👩🏽‍🔬🧪🧫🧬🦠

Our lab is blessed with so many talented and bright women scientists who do a great job every single day in and outside the lab 👏🏻

Cilia Abad, Rona Karahoda, Veronika Váchalová, Tetiana Synova, Hana Horackova, Fiona Kumnova ✨💕

The whole world celebrates the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on the 11th of February. This year, Univerzita Karlova (Charles University) has decided to celebrate "internationally" and they reached out to foreign women scientists working at the university. Among them, you can find two of our team members, Cilia Abad and Rona Karahoda, who share their exciting stories/opinions 👩‍🔬 Read more:

Kvalitní projekty a lidé. Karlovka zajímá i vědkyně ze světa Celý svět 11. února slaví Mezinárodní den žen a dívek ve vědě. Univerzita Karlova se pro letošní rok rozhodla slavit „mezinárodně“ - oslovili jsme zahraniční vědkyně, které na Karlovce působí, a přinášíme na dva tucty zkušeností a příběhů. Celý svět 11. února sl...

Celebrating our latest papers/grants + getting ready for student conference = whiskey tasting 🥃 + lots of pizza 🍕 + plenty of excellent data 📈 While the event was attended by all team members, in the picture you can find only the “last men standing” 😂👏🏻

Frantisek Cilia Ramon Rona Hanca Tetiana Veronika Fiona Maria Mohammed Mohammad

I have always been a fan of international teams - especially after the Christmas/New Year time when all the members return from their homelands with some authentic presents 🥃 👍😂

🇺🇦
🇽🇰

Rona Karahoda
Synova

What a way to start 2023 👍 Our paper on placenta perfusion as a preclinical model to investigate placental dopamine and norepinephrine transport got published on Jan 4 😀
Horackova
Veronika Váchalová
Cilia Abad
Rona Karahoda
Frantisek Staud

https://portlandpress.com/clinsci/article/doi/10.1042/CS20220726/232389/Perfused-rat-term-placenta-as-a-preclinical-model

What a way to finish 2022 👍 Our paper on rat placenta slices as a model to study sex-dependent inflammatory response got published on Dec 20 😀
Kasin Yadunandam
Cilia Abad
Rona Karahoda
Frantisek Staud
Ivan Vokřál

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2022.1083248/full

👏❤️

A fabric womb made by Angélique du Coudray, a French midwife who was commissioned by King Louis XV to reduce infant mortality. From 1760 to 1783, she traveled all over France, visiting poor rural women and sharing her extensive knowledge with them. It is estimated that she trained some 10,000 women.
Du Coudray also invented the first lifesize obstetrical mannequin, for practicing mock births, and published a well-received midwifery textbook

Support:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/artifactsmuseum

https://www.facebook.com/becomesupporter/museum.of.artifacts/

And once again - we are overjoyed to hear that The Czech Science Foundation has decided to fund our research for the next three years - this time on “CANNABIS USE IN PREGNANCY; EFFECTS ON ENDOCRINE AND IMMUNE FUNCTIONS OF THE PLACENTA”.
Really proud of the placenta team Ramon Portillo, Rona Karahoda, Cilia Abad Kasin Yadunandam, and all PhD students 👍😀

Our team is attending the EPG-IFPA meeting in Jouy en Josas, France 🇫🇷 .

Hana Horackova presenting her data on the effect of cholesterol on AMPK protein expression and activation in human MSPH placenta, BeWo, and PHT cells. These data she collected during her internship at the lab of Dr. Andrea Leiva in Chile 🇨🇱

Amazing photos of life in utero 👍❤️

Three years later - and we still enjoy Friday meetings (yes, whiskey too) 👍👏

No one likes Friday afternoon meetings ... except for us!
Even more so when the desk is full of great data and a bottle of whiskey 😂🥃👍
Thank you Bella Shah for the single malt 🥃

A gentle reminder of three years back today - when we were at the start of our research road 👍👏
Frantisek Staud
Cilia Abad
Rona Karahoda