Skip to main content
Search

Reproductive immunology

Published on May 31, 2020   51 min

Other Talks in the Series: The Female Reproductive System: from Basic Science to Fertility Treatments

Please wait while the transcript is being prepared...
0:00
My name is Gil Mor, I'm an M.D. Ph.D. And I'm at the present time, at the John Malone Jr. Endowed Chair and Director of the Mott Center for Human Development at Wayne State University.
0:15
There is no conflicts.
0:19
When we look at pregnancy complications, such as the one that we have in front of us, that is hemolytic disease of the newborn or implantation failure, or recurrent pregnancy loss. What they have in common is the reason aspect, that the maternal immune system is attacking the fetus. And contemplating this attack it comes to ask the question, "Why did your mother reject you?" The concept of
0:46
why your mother rejects you comes from this complexity of the immune system during pregnancy where the fetus is considered an allogenic organ. And what I mean is, have paternal antigens that the maternal immune system recognizes as a foreigner. And at the same time, the maternal immune system has to protect the fetus and the mother against infections. So that put us in the condition that the immune system or the immunological condition of pregnancy is a unique condition.
1:31
The concept of the recognition of the fetus as a semi-allograft was recognized more than 50 years ago by Sir Peter Medawar in England. When he claimed the observation that the fetus, in genetic terms, is a semi-allograft which escapes rejection. And what is the meaning of a semi-allograft?