NanoString’s Spatial Insights Webinar: A Spatially Resolved Timeline of the Human Maternal–Fetal Interface

Join us for this exciting scientific presentation for Women’s Health Month and learn how Inna Averbukh, PhD and her colleagues used spatial transcriptomics to develop a spatiotemporal map of the maternal-fetal interface. 

In early pregnancy, crucially necessary vascular remodeling is driven by fetal extravillous trophoblasts (EVTs). Exploring the mechanisms underlying EVT coordination with maternal tissue for immune tolerance and artery remodeling, we utilized spatial proteomics and transcriptomics for constructing a detailed, comprehensive atlas of the human maternal-fetal interface. Our data illustrate that gestational age largely influences maternal tolerogenic immune cell occurrence and localization, while artery remodeling is associated with EVT invasion. By leveraging the GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiler (DSP), we have been able to delve into the transcriptome of EVTs along their invasion route, unravelling populations previously not sequenced due to tissue dissociation losses. Our findings allow for an integrated model that emphasizes the importance of spatiotemporal interplay, furthering our understanding of the biology of pregnancy.