An international network (PlaNet) to evaluate a human placental testing platform for chemicals safety testing in pregnancy.
The human placenta is a critical life-support system that nourishes and protects a rapidly growing fetus; a unique organ, species specific in structure and function. We consider the pressing challenge of providing additional advice on the safety of prescription medicines and environmental exposures in pregnancy and how ex vivo and in vitro human placental models might be advanced to reproducible human placental test systems (HPTSs), refining a weight of evidence to the guidance given around compound risk assessment during pregnancy. The placental pharmacokinetics of xenobiotic transfer, dysregulated placental function in pregnancy-related pathologies and influx/efflux transporter polymorphisms are a few caveats that could be addressed by HPTSs, not the specific focus of current mammalian reproductive toxicology systems. An international consortium, "PlaNet", will bridge academia, industry and regulators to consider screen ability and standardisation issues surrounding these models, with proven reproducibility for introduction into industrial and clinical practice.
Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre, Institute of Human Development, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK; Mary's Hospital, Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK. Electronic address: paul.brownbill@manchester.ac.uk.
Paul
P
Brownbill
School of Mathematics, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK. Electronic address: igor.chernyavsky@manchester.ac.uk.
Igor
I
Chernyavsky
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden,. Electronic address: barbarabottalico28@gmail.com.
Barbara
B
Bottalico
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria. Electronic address: gernot.desoye@medunigraz.at.
Gernot
G
Desoye
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden,. Electronic address: stefan.hansson@med.lu.se.
Stefan
S
Hansson
Safer Medicines Trust, Macclesfield, UK. Electronic address: gerry@safermedicines.org.
Gerry
G
Kenna
Department of Public Health, Faculty Of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Electronic address: liek@sund.ku.dk.
Lisbeth E
LE
Knudsen
Placenta-Labor Laboratory, Department of Obstetrics, Friedrich Schiller University, D-07740, Jena, Germany. Electronic address: udo.markert@med.uni-jena.de.
Udo R
UR
Markert
Reproductive, Development and Paediatric Centre of Excellence, AstraZeneca, Mereside, Alderley Park, Alderley Edge SK10 4TG, UK. Electronic address: Nicola.PowlesGlover@astrazeneca.com.
Nicola
N
Powles-Glover
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Inselspital, University of Bern, Switzerland. Electronic address: henning.schneider@hispeed.ch.
Henning
H
Schneider
Molecular Cell Biology & Development, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, UK. Electronic address: Lopa.Leach@nottingham.ac.uk.
Lopa
L
Leach
D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D010920:Placenta / Q000187:drug effects*; D011247:Pregnancy; D055553:Prescription Drugs / Q000633:toxicity*; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D018675:Toxicity Tests / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D055553:Prescription Drugs
3Rs; Human placenta; PlaNet; Reproductive toxicology testing