Fostering new investigators in Reproductive Immunology.

During the 8th European Congress of Reproductive Immunology, November 2010 in Munich, Germany, the European Society of Reproductive Immunology provided the opportunity for young investigators to present their work. Short talks from students and post-doctoral trainees were scheduled immediately after the keynote speakers in each session. The Society presented two "Young Investigator Awards" in basic science as well as in clinical application, sponsored by Elsevier. Here we present a summary of the nominees in a single article. The nominees were asked to give a guided interview to provide an insight into their motivation and career aspirations for the future. We hope that the Young Investigator Award might be an ongoing tool to motivate and encourage young investigators to stay in the field of reproductive immunology and to continue their research on the feto-maternal interface.

Review: hCG, preeclampsia and regulatory T cells.

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is crucial for successful pregnancy. Its many functions include angiogenesis and immune regulation. Despite years of research, the etiology of preeclampsia remains unknown. Marked by insufficient trophoblast invasion and poor spiral artery remodeling, preeclampsia has also been linked to immune dysregulation. Here we discuss the roles of hCG in the context of endovascular cross-talk between trophoblasts and endothelial cells and immune tolerance. We propose that functional and glycosylation modifications of hCG may contribute to the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.