The European Placenta Group (EPG) Conference 2024 was successfully held on November 7-8 in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic, hosted by the Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, and organized by the Placenta in Health and Disease research team. The conference welcomed over 100 participants from 14 countries, providing a collaborative platform for researchers to share and discuss the latest advancements in placental physiology and pathology.
The conference opened with a warm welcome from the dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Assoc. Prof. PharmDr. Jaroslav Roh, Ph.D., followed by a presentation by Prof. PharmDr. František Štaud, Ph.D. on the NETPHARM project, highlighting innovative translational approaches in pharmaceutical sciences. PharmDr. Rona Karahoda, Ph.D. later introduced the 4EU+ project, emphasizing the collaborative efforts between leading European universities to bridge research and education.
The two-day program featured a dynamic mix of presentations, highlighting research on environmental and pharmacological impacts on placental functions, extracellular vesicles, placental pathologies, immune cells in pregnancy, trophoblast differentiation, and metabolic implications for fetal growth. Each session was chaired by leading experts and included contributions from both established and early‑career researchers, fostering a supportive environment for scientific dialogue.
One of the highlights of the conference was the focus on early career scientists, whose research contributions were orally presented. The event concluded with an awards ceremony, recognizing outstanding presentations across several categories:
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1st place – Anna-Lena Höbler: “Maternal-fetal interface favors a specific neutrophil type characterized by a long-lived, immunosuppressive phenotype, able to enhance EVT motility” (Medical University in Vienna)
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2nd place – Manon Murdeu: “Human-based placenta-embryo chip for developmental toxicity assessment of nanoparticles and drugs” (EMPA/ETH Zurich)
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Runner up – Theresa Maxian: “Characterization and in vitro modelling of trophoblast and villous core networks of human first trimester placental cells” (Medical University in Vienna)
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Runner up – Molly Rutt: “Endometrial gland-derived extracellular vesicles and their miRNA content” (University of Southampton)
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Runner up – Anandita Umapathy: “Placental insufficiency and fetal heart development: insights into the structural and functional consequences of fetal growth restriction” (University of Southampton)
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Best Master Student Presentation – Ella Proudley: “3D quantification analysis of the microvillous membrane of the human placental syncytiotrophoblast” (University of Southampton)
Text: PharmDr. Rona Karahoda, Ph.D.
Photo: Ing. Jan Škop, Mgr. Tetiana Synova
The conference was generously supported by the project New Technologies for Translational Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences/NETPHARM (project ID CZ.02.01.01/00/22_008/0004607, co-funded by the European Union) and the Charles University 4EU+ mini-grant (project code MA/4EU+/2024/F1/06), enhancing international collaborations and facilitating valuable exchanges in the field. Looking forward, the EPG hopes to continue building on this network through regional workshops, training sessions, and collaborative projects.
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