December 4, 2025

Margherita Turco wins 1M grant to study how nutrients support placental health

FMI group leader Margherita Turco has been awarded more than 1 million USD from the Gates Foundation to explore how micronutrients such as folate and iron could prevent life-threatening complications caused by a malfunctioning placenta.

Pregnancy depends on a delicate balance between the growing placenta and the lining of the mother’s womb, or uterus. The placenta is supplied by maternal blood from the uterine arteries to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the baby and remove waste. If the placenta doesn’t form properly, it can trigger problems that put both mother and baby at risk.

One of the most severe pregnancy conditions linked to poor placental development is early-onset pre-eclampsia. It occurs when the placenta does not tap deeply into the maternal arteries, leading to reduced blood flow to the placenta and—towards the end of pregnancy—stress to placental cells. This can cause dangerously high blood pressure in the mother and restrict the baby’s growth. Currently there are no ways to predict or treat this condition.

Turco’s new project, which was funded with 1.4 million USD over 30 months, will test a range of nutrient compounds to see which ones can help stressed placental cells recover, grow, and function better, even if the blood vessel problem has already occurred.

To do this, Turco’s team will use trophoblast organoids—tiny lab-grown models of early placental tissue. These miniature placentas behave much like real ones, allowing scientists to see how they grow and respond to stress. “This is a large collaborative effort involving multiple research teams and clinicians to speed up the translation of these findings into real-world treatments,” Turco says. Because nutrients are safe, affordable and already used in prenatal care, she adds, the work could pave the way for new approaches to support pregnancies at risk.