to have a better understanding of Reproductive Immunology, more data needs to be collected and analyzed. Technological advances allow reproductive immunologists to collect increasingly complex data at a cellular resolution. Polychromatic flow cytometry allows for greater resolution in the identifying novel cell types by surface and intracellular protein. Two examples of methods in data acquisition include: Flow cytometry - allows rapid assessment of multiple parameters simultaneously for a single cell. Single-cell RNAseq coupled with microfluidics - allows for efficient cellular transcriptomics. Reproductive immunology remains an open area of research as not enough data is available to introduce a significant finding. Cytokine profiling Maternal immune activation can be assessed by measuring multiple cytokines (cytokine profiling) in serum or plasma. This method is safe for the fetus since it only requires a peripheral blood sample from the mother and has been used to map maternal immune development throughout normal pregnancies as well as studying the relationship between immune activation and pregnancy complications or abnormal development of the fetus. Unfortunately, the method itself is unable to determine the sources and the targets of the cytokines and only shows systemic immune activation (as long as peripheral blood is analyzed), and the cytokine profile may vary rapidly as cytokines are short-lived proteins. It is also difficult to establish the exact relation between a cytokine profile and the underlying immunological processes. The impact of unfavorable immune activation on fetal development and the risk of pregnancy complications is an active field of research. Many studies have reported an association between cytokine levels, especially for inflammatory cytokines, and the risk of developing preeclampsia, although the findings are mixed. However, decreased cytokine levels in early pregnancy has been associated to impaired fetal growth. Increased maternal cytokine levels have also been found to increase the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders and depression in the offspring. However, more research is needed before these associations are fully understood. See also Assisted reproductive technology Hypertensive disease of pregnancy Sexually transmitted diseases References Branches of immunology Health issues in pregnancy