Topic description and stories

From exploring ancient ideas of generation to understanding new frontiers in fertility, Cambridge researchers are working across disciplines to study reproduction from multiple perspectives.

"Reproduction matters to us all": latest issue of Horizons magazine

20 November 2020

Professor Kathy Niakan talks about why it’s vital to take a multidisciplined approach to understanding the urgent challenges posed by reproduction today – and introduces our Spotlight on some of this work, highlighted in the latest issue of Cambridge's Horizons magazine.

Read more
Microscopic image of placental organoids

‘Mini-placentas’ help scientists understand the causes of pre-eclampsia and pregnancy disorders

17 Jan 2024

Scientists have grown ‘mini-placentas’ in the lab and used them to shed light on how the placenta develops and interacts with the inner lining of the...

Read more
Pregnant woman about to be sick

Why seven in ten women experience pregnancy sickness

13 Dec 2023

A Cambridge-led study has shown why many women experience nausea and vomiting during pregnancy – and why some women, including the Duchess of...

Read more
Pregnant person holding her stomach

Thousands of pregnancies tracked in UK’s biggest study on pre-eclampsia

19 Jul 2023

Up to 3,500 first time mums are due to take part in a study led by Cambridge researchers to understand why some will develop pre-eclampsia and...

Read more

Human stem cell embedded in a 3D matrix, Cryo SEM

Project launched to provide guidance on research using human stem cell-based embryo models

16 Jun 2023

The University of Cambridge has launched a project to develop the first governance framework for research involving stem cell-based human embryo...

Read more
Cells of the placenta

Cell mapping and ‘mini placentas’ give new insights into human pregnancy

29 Mar 2023

Researchers have mapped the complete trajectory of placental development, helping shed new light on why pregnancy disorders happen.

Read more

‘Synthetic’ embryo with brain and beating heart grown from stem cells

25 Aug 2022

New model embryo, using mouse stem cells, reaches a further point in development than has been achieved in any other stem cell-derived model.

Read more

Black woman holding newborn baby in hospital bed

Racial discrimination linked to increased risk of premature babies

05 Aug 2022

Women who experience racial discrimination on the basis of their ethnicity, race or nationality are at increased risk of giving birth prematurely...

Read more
Bifidobacterium breve

Maternal microbiome promotes healthy development of the baby

28 Jun 2022

Researchers studying mice have found the first evidence of how a mother’s gut microbes can help in the development of the placenta, and the healthy...

Read more
Laser-assisted analysis of a marmoset embryo after implantation

Molecular 3D-maps unlock new ways of studying human reproduction

16 Jun 2022

Scientists have identified the biochemical signals that control the emergence of the body pattern in the primate embryo. This will guide work to...

Read more

Fellowship awardees

Nine Cambridge scientists among the new 2022 Fellows announced by the Royal Society

10 May 2022

The nine Cambridge researchers were all selected for their exceptional contributions to science.

Read more
Section of mouse fetus and placenta

‘Battle of the sexes’ begins in womb as father and mother’s genes tussle over nutrition

27 Dec 2021

Cambridge scientists have identified a key signal that the fetus uses to control its supply of nutrients from the placenta in a tug-of-war between...

Read more
Human embryo in the lab 9 days after fertilisation.

Study identifies trigger for ‘head-to-tail’ axis development in human embryo

17 Jun 2021

Scientists have identified key molecular events in the developing human embryo between days 7 and 14 - one of the most mysterious, yet critical...

Read more

Pages