Seed Grant 2024 Recipients
Meet our 2024 Seed Grant recipients! Each of these leading laboratories will receive no-cost access to the available inventory of Amnion Foundation cells and reagents to support high-impact projects in drug development, toxicology, and regenerative medicine.
Dr. Rodrigo Barbano Weingrill
Dr. Rodrigo Barbano Weingrill, of the Transgenic Mouse, ISCI and IVF core at the University of Hawaii at Manoa has been selected as a recipient of the 2024 Amnion Foundation Seed Grant Program to study microplastics and their effects on placental cells.
From Dr. Rodrigo Barbano Weingrill – “Our group aims to develop a comprehensive and multi-dimensional approach to studying microplastic (MP) exposure on placental cells. Firstly, it combines multiple primary placental cell types—cytotrophoblasts, fibroblasts, Hofbauer cells, and endothelial cells—individually contributing to the complexity of placental architecture and function, offering a more holistic understanding of MP effects. By examining these cells in isolation and in co-culture systems, the study aims to reveal how MP exposure may impact cellular communication, trophoblast invasion, immune responses, and vascular integrity. Furthermore, the proposal will incorporate RNA sequencing, live-cell imaging, and transcriptomic profiling to capture real-time cellular responses and molecular changes induced by MP particles.”
The Transgenic Mouse, ISCI and IVF Core – https://www.ibr.hawaii.edu/tmii/index.html