2009 Press Releases
12.01.2009
The Anu Research Centre, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, UCC is celebrating a €800,000 research award from the Wellcome Trust, to help develop a new blood test to identify women with high risk pregnancies.
A team led by Dr Louise Kenny, Senior Lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at UCC and Professor Phil Baker, Director of the Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, UK, will use the award to help develop a simple blood test to predict mothers at risk of pre-eclampsia and other pregnancy complications.
The Wellcome Trust award is built on the Health Research Board funded SCOPE Project, currently based at Cork University Maternity Hospital.
Explained Louise Kenny: “The award builds on our identification of indicators known as biomarkers in the blood of women in early pregnancy. We have used these biomarkers to predict the subsequent development of pregnancy complications, particularly pre-eclampsia, a disease which can potentially be fatal for mothers and unborn babies.
“We found the biomarkers by identifying particular metabolites in the blood – these are small molecules which are involved in normal growth, development, and reproduction. We have been collaborating with Manchester- one of the leading centres of metabolomic discovery in Europe for several years and this award will enable UCC to establish a key role in taking this research forward.”
Translational research awards made by the Wellcome Trust aim to take biomedical discoveries through to a stage where they can be developed for commercial use.
Added Dr Kenny: “The funding will enable us to turn our research into a practical benefit for patients. This involves confirming that the metabolites we’ve identified can be used to screen for the development of pre-eclampsia. To do this, we will carry out a targeted screening of 3,000 low-risk women.
“The next phase will be to combine clinical information and metabolites to develop the most effective system for predicting problems in pregnancy. The final step is to turn this into a prototype blood test which is suitable for commercial use.
“The award will make a tremendous difference to our work, and hopefully mothers and babies should benefit from the new screening test within the next 5-10 years.”
The Wellcome Trust is the largest charity in the UK. It funds innovative biomedical research, in the UK and internationally, spending over £600 million each year to support the brightest scientists with the best ideas.
Note:
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Manchester Biomedical Research Centre is a partnership between the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and The University of Manchester.
Picture: Dr Louise Kenny
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