Limburg Birth Cohort

Meet Joline

Specialising in placental health

Joline Millen

PhD student

Research project: The impact of ambient air pollution during gestation on placental senescence
Latest studies: Master in Biomedical sciences: Environmental Health Sciences - Hasselt University

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Research project

The impact of ambient air pollution during gestation on placental senescence

It has already been shown that air pollution particles can reach the placenta, even at the fetal side. But what are the possible health effects? In this study I aim to unravel which molecular mechanisms related to cellular senescence (a form of cellular aging) are triggered in the placenta by air pollution exposure during pregnancy. Understanding these molecular mechanisms is important since stress-induced premature senescence (SIPS) in the placenta has already been linked to pathologies such as preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, spontaneous preterm birth and fetal death.