Ashley Moffett

Ashley Moffett, also Ashley King, is a Professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of Cambridge specialising in Reproductive Immunology,[1] and a fellow of King's College.[2] She became a fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in 2015.[3]

Research

Professor Moffett has been at the forefront of research into the immunology of trophoblast invasion and its role in placentation for over 25 years.[3] Her main areas of research currently are into interactions between maternal Killer-cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptor (KIR) and fetal HLA-C molecules, the culture of human trophoblast cells and the link between KIR/HLA-C variants to pre-eclampsia, puerperal sepsis and obstructed labour.[1] She leads the maternal health scheme as part of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Global Health Research.

Moffett has come out strongly against the use of immune-suppressive drugs as a means of preventing miscarriage, commenting, "That's a very attractive idea, but it's actually not correct. But it's become firmly embedded and it's extremely hard to dislodge it, even among scientists."[4] Also, in relation to pregnancy, she has stated that pre-eclampsia, often experienced by African women, is impossible to predict or prevent. "Even when it is detected the only course of action is constant monitoring, and ultimately the only cure is delivery – sometimes at too early a stage for the baby to survive."[5]

Selected works

  • Moffett, Ashley; Loke, Charlie; McLaren, Anne (2006). Biology and Pathology of Trophoblast. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-139-45254-0.
  • Loke, Y. W.; King, Ashley (1995). Human Implantation: Cell Biology and Immunology. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-44193-3.

References

  1. 1 2 "Professor Ashley Moffett — Department of Pathology". www.path.cam.ac.uk.
  2. ↑ "Professor Ashley Moffett". King's College, Cambridge. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Professor Ashley Moffett, England". Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists.
  4. ↑ Johnston, Ian (15 May 2016). "Fertility watchdog 'increasingly concerned' about dubious treatments sold by private clinics as experts warn childless couples are being exploited". Independent. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  5. ↑ "Researchers explore why pre-eclampsia is more common in women of African descent". Medical press. 16 February 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2017.


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