WCMC-Q’s Grand Rounds Brings Leading Lupus Researcher to Doha

ZAWYA—January 28, 2015

Visiting speaker Dr. Jane Salmon discussed the discoveries made through her research team's experiments on mice, which have revealed the underlying mechanisms of poor pregnancy outcomes in women with the chronic autoimmune disorders lupus and antiphospholipid syndrome.

Dr. Salmon, who is also Professor of Medicine in Obstetrics and Gynecology at WCMC-NY and the Collette Kean Research Chair at Hospital for Special Surgery, said: "Until recently, the advice for women with lupus was simply to not get pregnant because of the concern the disease could flare and lead to serious problems for the mother and the baby, including pregnancy complications such as placental insufficiency, fetal growth restriction and even complete loss of the pregnancy. The guidance was to avoid pregnancy but this recommendation was not based on strong data."

Fortunately, explained Dr. Salmon, better understanding of the disease has led to new advice, which recommends that many patients with lupus can safely carry babies to full term.

In a series of experiments in pregnant mice, Dr. Salmon's laboratory was able to prove that inflammation, not thrombosis, prevents the normal formation of blood vessels to the placenta, which are required to nourish the developing fetus. The compromised placental development leads to restricted fetal growth, preeclampsia and miscarriage.

Read the full story at zawya.com.