Predicting Preterm Babies

Using a proprietary technology platform, researchers have profiled the amniotic fluid called metabolome in order to identify which women who have experienced preterm labor are also at risk of delivering a preterm baby.

The researchers studied the amniotic fluid of three groups of patients: those with preterm labor who delivered at term, those with intra-amniotic inflammation who had both preterm labor and delivery, and those with no sign of inflammation who still had preterm labor and delivery.

"We discovered that by using metabolic profiling, 96% of the time we could identify the patients as belonging to the appropriate clinical group,” noted Roberto Romero, M.D., primary study author and chief of the Perinatology Research Branch of the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD; Bethesda, MD, USA). "A second study, in a different set of patients with a larger sample size, has already confirmed the effectiveness of our method. Until now, we have never had a way to predict the course of preterm labor with such accuracy.”

The study results were presented at the annual Scientific Meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine on February 10, 2005, in Reno (NV,USA). Metabolon, Inc. (Research Triangle Park, NC, USA) is leading the discovery of biomarkers through the use of metabolomics, a powerful and new scientific approach for the discovery and development of drugs and the early diagnosis of disease.

"Our successful profiling of the amniotic fluid metabolome and the identification of key biomarkers will aid researchers in the development of tools to determine preterm delivery risk,” said John Ryals, president and CEO of Metabolon.





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NICHD
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