Current research
The Placenta in Health and DiseasE
The Afshar Lab focuses on normal and abnormal placentation in pregnancy. We’re interested in the placenta as a transient support organ in fetal development, in cardiac development, as well as abnormal placentation, specifically placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) disorders, a high-risk obstetrical complication associated with significant maternal morbidity. We utilize our lab’s UCLA Perinatal Biorepository as well as the UCLA Pathology Laboratory to understand clinical and histological features that define PAS as well as focusing on improving current diagnostic techniques. The goal of our work in PAS is to ultimately lead to improvements in both maternal and neonatal health. Understanding the etiology of PAS has translation implications for a high-risk patient population that we have identified.
Using the NanoVelcrochip to detect PAS can act as a noninvasive early detection method. The microchip collects samples of circulating trophoblasts (cTB). Patients with PAS were found to have greater amounts of cTB than patients without PAS.
Placenta miRNA in normal pregnancy and how they may vary throughout different trimesters was sequenced to serve as a reference point for future studies.
Four commonly used intervention methods for PAS were evaluated: ureteral stent placement, intravascular balloon use, gynecologic oncologist involvement, and cell saver use. It was found that the rate of genito-urinary injury did not differ on the basis of ureteral stent use, intravascular balloon use and gynecologic oncologist involvement were associated with lower rates of blood loss, and blood loss did not differ on the basis of cell saver use.​
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