British researchers have been setting out "radical" new ways of checking the health of unborn babies and their mothers.
In one project, a series of protein tests have been developed for pregnant women who at risk of the potentially serious complication, pre-eclampsia, a major conference has been told.
Researchers at the University of Leicester and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, UK, found that analysing the protein content of pregnant women’s urine before the 20th week of pregnancy was a good indicator of its onset.
A total of 145 women at risk of pre-eclampsia participated in the research, 11 of whom subsequently developed the condition.
An analysis of urine samples obtained prior to week 20 revealed a panel of five proteins that correctly predicted pre-eclampsia with 92 per cent accuracy.
Dr Matt Hall, of the Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, presented the paper, An Early Pregnancy Urinary Proteomic Fingerprint Accurately Predicts Later Pre-Eclampsia, [F-FC223] at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado, as part of the American Society of Nephrology Renal Week.
He told delegates that pre-eclampsia affects approximately five per cent of pregnancies and can pose serious health concerns for mother and child.
"Our study suggests that changes in levels of certain proteins in the urine early in pregnancy can predict who will develop pre-eclampsia about five months before symptoms develop,” he said.
Although these results do not give us a cure for pre-eclampsia, early identification of women at highest risk will allow focused monitoring and timely delivery of their babies, as well as reassurance for women found to be low risk."
Study co-authors include Dr Paul Bosio (Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, in Birmingham, UK), Dr Jonathan Barratt, Dr Nigel Brunskill, and Dr Susan Carr (Leicester General Hospital and the University of Leicester); and Dr Karen Molyneux of the University of Leicester.
* A second British project is set to use high-tech MRI scans to study the brains of unborn babies, it has been announced.
MRI is hard to use during pregnancy because of the movement of the baby in the womb – but can give much clearer pictures than traditionally used ultra-sound.
The researchers at Hammersmith Hospital, London, say they have a "radical" new way to create 3D images of babies in the womb.
The project is being backed by nearly £150,000 from Action Medical Research and some 50 families are involved in testing.
Professor Mary Rutherford said: we are applying the new technique to a more sophisticated type of MRI scan, called diffusion tensor imaging, so that it too can be used during pregnancy.
"We believe diffusion tensor imaging will have the power to identify injuries and abnormalities in unborn babies’ brains. It may also show how different areas of the brain are connected to each other, by revealing pathways that nerve fibres follow within the brain."
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