A developing foetus with the placenta visible behind (Reprinted by permission from Macmillan Publishers Ltd: Nature 419:106-107 by J. Knight, copyright (2002)).
Dr Igor Chernyavsky, a postdoctoral researcher in the School, has been selected to represent mathematical sciences in the UK at the forthcoming ‘SET for Britain’ exhibition on 17 March. The exhibition is held in the House of Commons and aims to promote the work of early career researchers in Science and Engineering. Dr Chernyavsky will present a poster entitled "Transport in Complex Media: A Mathematical Key to the Placental Enigma".
His joint work with Professor Oliver Jensen (Manchester), Professor Ian Dryden and Dr Lopa Leach (Nottingham) involves the development of novel mathematical models and techniques to examine the way the placenta functions during pregnancy. The placenta is an organ we all depend on at the beginning, and which is a root of our life-long well-being. More importantly and tragically, sometimes apparently normal pregnancy results in a condition called pre-eclampsia that endangers both the mother and the baby, and which is attributed to a placental malfunction. The major puzzle of the human placenta is how to connect its tiny microscopic features with effective organ-wide delivery of oxygen and nutrients, something which Dr Chernyavsky has aimed to help address. The models he is developing could bring computer-assisted diagnostics and treatment of placental disorders a step closer.
School of Mathematical SciencesUniversity of Nottingham Nottingham, NG7 2RD
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