A mother has a strong tie with the fetus emotionally, physically and genetically. That’s scientific! But what if I tell you, a mother and the newborn also share an unusual bond that could shape the future health of the mother, the baby—or both.
Meet Malika Gehlot, a Ph.D. scholar at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Jodhpur, India. And this is her ‘scholar story.’ She will decode whether the mother and growing fetus share the microbiome or not and whether the womb remains sterile only!
Key Topics:
Meet the scholar:
Malika is a biotechnologist by profession and a Ph.D. research scholar at the Department of Neonatology, All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Jodhpur, India.
She holds a bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Biotechnology from Jai Narayan Vyas University, Jodhpur and Nirma University, Ahmedabad, India, respectively. She got initial exposure to research in her master’s.
She worked on animal models and gained a deeper understanding of the research’s significance. She got interested! Qualified GATE XL and then cleared UGC- CSIR NET recently.
She was selected as a Ph.D scholar at AIIMS and, under the guidance of Dr. Neeraj Gupta, Professor and Head of the Department, Neonatology, AIIMS, Jodhpur, had planned to challenge a conventional and common pregnancy belief, “If the womb is sterile?”
The original Research:
She started her PhD in January 2024 and she is still pursuing it. However, it is almost at the very beginning of her research (and she is ready to share some glimpses from her work!). She is working on exploring the initial seeding of the microbial signature in the neonate.
You may have a question: What’s the topic about?
Besides DNA, our gut microbiome also has a substantial impact on our well-being. Millions of microbes living in the gut decide our mood. Long story short, if they are happy, we are too!
As stated, the common belief until now is, “The womb is sterile!” She took the challenge to explore if it is true that the womb shares a microbiome with the mother, as it shares oxygen and nutrients.
They planned the research accordingly. They are collecting the samples from the mother and fetus (Mother: Amniotic fluid or placenta, and Baby: Oral, rectal or skin swab). And will be performing 16S rRNA gene sequencing using high-throughput next-generation sequencing.
Let me tell you that the 16s rRNA gene is commonly found in microbes. Scientists target this gene to identify various microbes present in any sample. If you want to learn more, click the link and read our previous article.
They will be comparing the sequencing results of the mother and neonate using bioinformatics tools, and will be determining whether the microbiome is shared between both or not.
Challenges during the research:
One of the biggest challenges during the research is the sample collection and storage due to high patient load and a busy schedule.
Her transition from a conventional college setup to clinical research is also evidently difficult. Clinical setups are entirely different from the conventional research setup. It isn’t just doing research within 4 walls at all!
Again! That’s challenging for Malika to transition to the medical setup.
Furthermore, another major challenge was to make a fine balance between her and her guide, as she isn’t from a medical background. On the contrary, her guide belonged to a pure medical field. But she managed.
The cost of the testing is indeed another challenge, as the NGS is a super costly technology.
Lastly, standardizing the protocols and analyzing the data are some further challenges that pushed the boundaries a bit more!
Key findings:
The major outcomes of the present research will be focusing on the health of both the neonate and the mother — that’s for sure! The research is still ongoing, and the present study will be exploring an untouched area of pregnancy.
We usually talk a lot about genetics when it comes to pregnancy! However, microbiomes also contribute to human health, in abundance. This study will simply give insights into whether the microbiome will have any significant role in the same or not.
This will also help us to get deeper insights into various other aspects of human health, such as pregnancy complications, including gestational diabetes mellitus, premature rupture of a membrane and preterm birth. This may also help to develop microbiota-based interventions or kits.
Let’s see what facts Malika will be uncovering soon…
How does this help society?
The present research will be majorly beneficial not only for public health (pregnancy health) but also build a bridge between the clinical and microbial research and help researchers to develop novel biomarkers present or any microbiota-based intervention.
This will also help resolve the sterile womb hypothesis and unfold the potential of microbial research.
Related article: Genetics Behind Eunuchism: This Research Scholar Dared to Ask the Unspoken Questions.
Future aspect:
The present research holds potential to revolutionize obstetrics and related practices. Further research will help get more insights into the real-life pregnancy complications, most importantly, the preterm birth.
It also helps us to generate more datasets and preventive strategies to combat pregnancy-related issues in the future and further refine the clinical practices to reduce the risk of infection to the vulnerable population of neonates.
Malika’s original research article is yet to be published; we will notify here once it has been published. Her review article is also communicated and will be published soon.
Disclaimer: The content shared under the “Scholar Stories” section is based on research and information provided by the respective research fellows. Genetic Education reviews and verifies the information for accuracy before publication; however, the responsibility for the originality, interpretation, and claims remains solely with the contributors. Genetic Education is not liable for any errors, omissions, or consequences arising from the use of this information. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Genetic Education.
