Program

13:30 p.m. Welcome coffee

2:00 – 3:15 p.m. Session 1 What we know about MC today

Diana Bianchi, MD, NIH/NHGRI, USA
J. Lee Nelson, MD, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle, USA
Microchimerism – major findings and contextualization in women’s health

Dr. Katja Sallinger, Kristine Chua
Interdisciplinary and Cross-disciplinary investigation of microchimerism 

Q&A

Coffee break

3:45 – 5:00 p.m. Session 2 What are the unknowns and potential applications of MC

Prof. Markus Hengstschläger, Vienna, Austria
How to study Microchimerism ethically – ethical considerations around research and applications

Amy Boddy, Phd, Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara, 
Evolutionary perspectives on microchimerism

Abstract: Fetal microchimerism has been associated with both positive and negative effects on maternal health. These mixed effects may stem from an evolutionary tension: mothers and their offspring have shared interests in some areas but conflicting interests in others, a dynamic known as maternal-fetal conflict. From an evolutionary perspective, fetal cells may function similarly to the placenta. Just as the placenta transfers resources from mother to baby during pregnancy, fetal cells that remain in maternal tissues after birth may continue to help transfer resources to the offspring. This resource transfer can benefit both mother and child, or it can represent the fetus „pushing“ for more than what‘s optimal for the mother‘s health, creating conflict over how resources are allocated. Depending on the mother‘s specific circumstances and health needs, these fetal cells may help with maternal bodily maintenance (such as wound healing) or manipulate maternal physiology in ways that favor the offspring. We propose that fetal cells play important roles in sustaining maternal investment in offspring after birth by influencing key systems like milk production, body temperature regulation, and mother-infant bonding.

Rachel Lewis, USA
Expecting the Unexpecting: Compassionate care for your pregnancy loss patients

Abstract: Pregnancy loss is a medical event that has no cure, and no treatment can mitigate the emotional devastation of loss. However, you have the power to offer compassionate care and ultimately prevent further trauma. In this talk, you will gain insight into what your pregnancy loss patients really need (hint: It’s not making them feel better about their loss); how, as a medical provider, you are specifically able to help them process their loss; and how you can teach them to advocate for their future medical needs with pregnancy loss as an important piece of their medical history

Rachel Tompa, PhD, Seattle, USA
Reflections on microchimerism after pregnancy loss

Abstract: When I first learned about microchimerism, I’d been pregnant five times: three miscarriages before bearing two living children. I was working as a science writer at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, where Lee Nelson, MD — who has made seminal discoveries about this phenomenon of parent-child cell-sharing — is a faculty member. The idea that I had living cells remaining in my body from my two children fascinated me, but I was even more astonished when I came across a paper Nelson and her colleagues wrote titled Microchimerism in recurrent miscarriage. My diagnosis, for the three miscarriages I had before getting pregnant with my oldest child, was idiopathic recurrent miscarriage. Despite the many tests I was subjected to, my doctors didn’t know why I kept losing pregnancies. That mystery was never solved, but here was a new mystery: Could I really have five different sets of cells from my five pregnancies persisting in my body? In this talk, I’ll describe what we know about miscarriage and microchimerism, including the many remaining unknowns, and describe my struggle to understand what my body was going through during my period of loss.

Anna M. Rath, University of Applied Sciences, Graz, Austria
Intersections of Microchimerism and Midwifery Practice

Abstract: Midwifery is a profession that provides continuous care throughout the reproductive phases, including pregnancy, birth, the postpartum period and lactation. This holistic approach integrates physiological support with emotional and psychosocial guidance for families. Key themes include the in-utero connection, maternal–infant bonding, and breastfeeding as a continuation of this bond. Another important theme is the emotional relationship that develops between mother and child.

While midwifery focuses on fostering and supporting these processes, research on microchimerism explores how this connection manifests at a cellular level, examining the persistence and exchange of maternal and foetal cells across biological boundaries. This panel will explore the intersection between these two fields of study.

By combining cellular-level research with the clinical and emotional aspects of midwifery, the discussion will highlight the shared objective of both disciplines: to understand and support the profound biological and emotional bond between mother and child. We propose that integrating these two areas of study can generate new transdisciplinary knowledge, linking the microscopic with the deeply human aspects of birth and care.

Q&A

Coffee break

17:30 – 19:00 Session 3 Hidden Guest

Lise Barnéoud, France
These cells that are not our own
Following the success of her book Hidden Guests and in an effort to popularize science to the widest possible audience, French science journalist Lise Barnéoud will give a lecture on microchimerism. Starting from the discovery of these cellular interminglings, she will interweave science discoveries with human stories. This talk will offer a new perspective on our biology, on our immune system, and ultimately allows us to glimpse a new way of being in the world.

For this special event, the public will also be invited to participate and the lecture will continue with a discussion among some of the world‘s leading experts attending the conference.

Expert panel discussion incl.  Q&A

Summary & meeting with the speaker by wine and cheese