A major national clinical research centre dedicated to early miscarriage is to be opened in the UK, it was announced today.
The centre is being backed by Tommy’s, the baby charity that funds research into miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth.
The centre – Europe’s largest for miscarriage research – will open on 1 April, 2016 and will be based at three sites at The University of Birmingham; The University of Warwick, in conjunction with University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust; and Imperial College London.
The partnership between the three universities will see them running specialist clinics that will enable 24,000 women a year to access treatment and support. They will also have the opportunity to take part in Tommy’s research studies.
Jane Brewin, chief executive of Tommy’s, said the centre’s first five years will research: genetic causes of miscarriage, including a possible connection to damaged DNA in sperm; the role of bacteria in miscarriage; predicting the risk of miscarriage by developing sophisticated computerised risk prediction models that pull together clinical data from across the UK; and the best ways to support women who have experienced miscarriage.
“Medical science doesn’t fully understand miscarriage, which is why funding and research is so critical,” she said.
“Through pioneering medical research, Tommy’s clinicians will save babies’ lives by turning their discoveries into screening tests and treatments and launch clinics for pregnant women who are most at risk, giving them the latest improvements in care. They’ll share their work in national clinical guidelines, preventing miscarriages and developing better care across the country.”
Welcoming the announcement of the centre, Professor Phillip Bennett, director of the Institute for Reproductive and Developmental Biology at Imperial College London, said: “As a doctor, I wish I could give my patients the answers they are looking for. The thing is, we have the expertise, the technology, the drive – we just need the funding. Tommy’s National Miscarriage Centre is the most promising chance yet of making breakthroughs in early miscarriage.”
In the centre’s first year, £500,000 is being contributed by Tommy’s supporters, which is being supplemented by more than £700,000 of institutional funding. The charity expects the institutional funding to grow as breakthrough discoveries are made.
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