MRC Centre for Reproductive Health

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Reproduction is a fundamental feature of all life, essential for the continuation of our species. The birth of a healthy baby represents the culmination of a remarkable series of events and a defining moment in our progress towards ?living a long and healthy life?. The reproductive tissues that provide the platform for our fertility and nurture a successful pregnancy are characterised by their remarkable ?resilience? ? namely their ability to withstand or recover quickly from ?challenges? that might otherwise have an adverse impact on their function. Other tissues cannot usually show such resilience. Our new Centre will link scientists studying the ways in which reproductive tissues regenerate, repair and renew themselves enabling them to withstand the impacts of our modern lifestyle including stress and obesity, with teams of doctors and scientists who are focusing their research on stem cell biology, tissue regeneration, inflammation and fetal growth in the brain, liver, lung and kidney. This multidisciplinary approach will ensure we can apply our research findings to the development of new therapies for common reproductive problems such as infertility, heavy periods, premature birth, low birth weight, but also that they are applied towards therapies for diseases that affect the liver, brain, lung and vascular system such as cirrhosis and cancer. Crucially, we will train the next generation of basic and clinician scientists in reproductive medicine and its broader exploitation and communicate our new and exciting research findings to the general public, through our public lecture and schools outreach programmes.