Maternal, Newborn, and Adolescent Health

Xin Wang and colleagues from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Boston Medical Center in the U.S., along with collaborators from Weifang Medical University in China and Christian Medical College in India, will identify new treatments and associated diagnostic biomarkers for hypoxic-ischemic brain injury in newborns, which is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. In Phase I they discovered that agonists of the melatonin receptor, alone or in combination with hypothermia, could prevent newborn hypoxic-ischemic brain injury in a mouse model.

Kiersten Israel-Ballard of PATH in the U.S., in partnership with University of Washington and Human Milk Banking (HMB) Association of South Africa, will work to develop and test a low-cost, cell-phone-based networked sensing system to provide safety monitoring of low-technology flash- heating pasteurization of breast milk designated for donation. The goal is to scale-up human milk banking for vulnerable infants in resource-limited settings.

Larry Rand and colleagues at the University of California, San Francisco in the U.S. will develop a vaginal diaphragm to detect changes in cervical collagen and wirelessly alert health providers before preterm labor begins. This device would identify a new pre-labor “window” during which intervention could reduce mortality and disability resulting from pre-term birth among at-risk pregnant women.

Guiying Nie and colleagues of Prince Henry's Institute of Medical Research in Australia will test the utility of measuring blood levels of the HtrA3 protein for the early diagnosis of preeclampsia, which is a serious disorder of human pregnancy. Early diagnosis would enable therapeutic intervention helping to avoid premature delivery and associated risks. In Phase I, they developed a high-throughput assay to detect HtrA3 levels in the blood, and evaluated its ability to identify pregnancies at high risk of preeclampsia using a small number of samples.

Euan Wallace of The Ritchie Centre in Australia proposes to test the antioxidant melatonin as a simple and inexpensive intervention to reduce birth-related brain injury.

Andrew Shennan and colleagues at Kings College London in the United Kingdom will field test in rural Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe a new blood pressure monitor which uses solar power and requires little training for its ability to increase detection rates and improve outcomes of women with preeclampsia in these communities. In Phase I they performed a feasibility study by introducing a selected and validated blood pressure monitor into low resource rural clinics in Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, and providing basic training.

Melissa J. Moore of the University of Massachusetts Medical School and S. Ananth Karumanchi of Harvard Medical School in the U.S. propose to develop siRNA- based therapies to silence genes in the placenta which produce excess proteins that cause preeclampsia. Temporarily silencing these genes can prolong pregnancy and protect the life of both infant and mother. In Phase I, they demonstrated that siRNAs can be delivered to the placenta, and those designed to target the mouse versions of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt1) could safely decrease protein levels in pregnant mice.

Chakib Tadj of École de Technologie Supérieure in Canada will design a non-invasive diagnostic tool using computer acoustical analysis of newborn cries to detect serious medical conditions such as heart defects and infections. Cry production in newborns can be influenced by neurological and physiological states. In this project's Phase I, Tadj and his team analyzed cries from 120 healthy and sick newborns to identify acoustic features that can be used for diagnostic purposes.

Abi Santhosh Aprem of HLL Lifecare Ltd. in India will attempt to eliminate the side effects associated with copper T intrauterine devices by coating the copper with biodegradable polymers. The polymers could prevent bulk shedding of copper ions that cause bleeding, cramping and pain, leading to increased acceptance of this highly effective contraceptive device.

David Clapham of Boston Children's Hospital in the U.S. will develop and test a nanoparticle contraceptive that releases sperm tail inhibitors in response to vaginal pH changes or exposure to prostatic fluid. The nanoparticles could be incorporated into a vaginal gel to block sperm motility required for fertilization. This project's Phase I research culminated in the development of mesoporous silica nanoparticles that contain sperm inhibitors.