Understanding and treating Infection-related preterm birth

Background: Research has shown that bacterial infection within the womb can trigger premature birth. The cervix has a special role in pregnancy; it protects the baby and the womb from infection. Understanding how this cervical barrier does this will help to discover what can go wrong and how to treat women at risk of preterm birth. Our approach: During this project, we will investigate what happens to the pregnancy in mice that are deficient in certain cervical proteins and how that affects their ability to protect against infection. The second part of this project will be to assess preventative treatments that either boost this cervical barrier or reduce infection using a mouse model of preterm birth. Expected impact of work: Ultimately this work will contribute to further understanding of why preterm birth occurs and to develop and test a specific treatment that can prevent preterm delivery in women at risk.