# Novel MRI Assessment of Placental Structure and Function Throughout Pregnancy

> **NIH NIH R01** · BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL · 2021 · $689,220

## Abstract

The placenta is a highly vascular organ, responsible for the interaction between mother and developing fetus.
Close proximity of maternal blood, in intervillous spaces, and fetal blood, in chorionic villi, enables transport of
nutrients, such as oxygen, from mother to fetus and removal of wastes. Perfusion of the intervillous spaces can
be impaired by placental diseases, such as preeclampsia. Compromised placental perfusion impairs the
exchange between maternal and fetal blood with potentially devastating impact on both mother and fetus.
Today, no diagnostic tool can directly monitor regional placental perfusion, intervillous inflow, oxygen response
and oxygen state. Clinicians still rely on indirect measures of placental health, such as fetal size and umbilical
artery blood velocity. Induced delivery remains the treatment of choice for most placental disorders. New,
effective technologies are desperately needed to monitor regional placental health in vivo. We assembled a
team of technical MR experts, computational researchers, MR clinician scientists, experienced obstetricians
and a internationally recognized placental biologist to address the need for clinically relevant technological
advances in MRI for placental imaging. Here we will develop robust, quantitative measures of regional
placental perfusion, intervillous inflow, oxygen response and oxygen state from late 2​nd trimester to term, with
safety analysis and feasibility testing that pave the way for extension to late 1​st trimester. We will pilot and
optimize our placental MRI measures in mothers with typical pregnancy (TP) and preeclampsia (PE) to
determine if our novel MRI methods are tolerated by both groups and to evaluate their feasibility and potential
as clinical tools to distinguish PE from TP placentas in individuals. Towards this end, we propose the following
specific aims: ​1. Map placental perfusion and estimate intervillous inflow: We will develop a new model for
diffusion imaging intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) for placental perfusion and develop a velocity selective
spin labeling (VSSL) approach to estimate intervillous inflow. ​2. Map T1 and T2 to characterize changes in
placental oxygen response and oxygen state​: We will develop 2D MR Fingerprinting (MRF) to create rapid joint
T1 and T2 maps of placental oxygen response during hyperoxia and 3D MRF or multi-inversion echo planar
imaging (MIEPI) to create volumetric joint T1 and T2 maps to determine the placental oxygen state. For Aims 1
and 2, we will correlate multimodal placental patterns in TP and PE with regional placental histopathology
using our placental flattening method for guidance. ​3. Optimize imaging safety throughout pregnancy using
temperature simulations​: We will focus on the major safety concern of radiofrequency (RF) tissue heating in
the first-through-third trimester of pregnancy. We will build on our anatomically realistic numerical pregnant
body models and expertise with electromagnetic simulat...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10163065
- **Project number:** 5R01HD100009-03
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** ELFAR ADALSTEINSSON
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $689,220
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-01 → 2024-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10163065

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10163065, Novel MRI Assessment of Placental Structure and Function Throughout Pregnancy (5R01HD100009-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10163065. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*