Ashley Moffett

Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

Ashley Moffett

Academic positions:
- Reader, Department of Pathology
- Director of Studies, Kings college, Cambridge

Any industry positions (last five years):
None declared

Research interests:
The implantation of the placenta in the uterus may be considered as an allograft, and this raises the question as to why there is maternal tolerance to this non-self tissue. In addition, placental trophoblast cells are highly invasive a situation that can be dangerous unless controlled. Insufficient trophoblast invasion, in contrast, results in poor placentation and problems in pregnancy such as pre-eclampsia and fetal growth restriction. Dr Moffett’s group have found that the immunology of implantation exhibits many features of the innate immune system rather than the adaptive immune system seen in contemporary transplantation immunology. The immune cells that participate in implantation are Natural Killer (NK) cells and the hypothesis that they are testing is that recognition of Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) antigens on the surface of placental trophoblast cells regulates placentation and the depth of trophoblast invasion. Genetic combinations of NK receptor genes in the mother and particular HLA-C allotypes in the fetus are associated with pre-eclampsia. Studies are now underway to look at the KIR/HLA-C combinations in other diseases of pregnancy such as miscarriage and fetal growth restriction. They are also investigating the role of the trophoblast-specific HLA class I molecules, HLA-G and its interaction with ILT receptors expressed by uterine maternal dendritic cells. Although the function of the distinctive uterine NK cells is still unknown there are now indications that they may have important roles in both placentation and uterine mucisal function, notably effects on the spiral arteries.

Any other information:

Any competing interests declared are displayed with individual evaluations.

Section Head: Women's Health > Reproductive Immunology (since 16 November 2005)

Ashley Moffett is a Section Head for Reproductive Immunology, part of the WOMEN'S HEALTH Faculty. The role of a Section Head is to work with their Co-Section Head(s) to divide the Section (sub-specialty area) into its component areas of research, nominate leaders in those areas as Faculty Members, and offer ongoing oversight of the content within their Section. They are not asked to evaluate articles, although we do, of course, welcome them.

Links

http://www.path.cam.ac.uk/pages/moffett/

All recent recommendations

• 9.9
  Decidual NK cells regulate key developmental processes at the human fetal-maternal interface.
  Recommended by Vikki Abrahams, Ashley Moffett, Philippe Le Bouteiller, Jeffrey Pollard