A simple blood test of placental health which could prevent many stillbirths will be trialled by University of Melbourne academics and partner institutes across Australia.
The nearly $2 million Medical Research Future Funded study was announced today at the University of Melbourne by Federal Assistant Minister for Health, Rebecca White.
The vision of the project's new test is to identify pregnancies where the placenta is ailing fast and the unborn baby is at risk of stillbirth.
It would also flag pregnancies where the baby and placenta are healthy, and medical interventions can be safely avoided.
Associate Professor Roxanne Hastie, from the Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health, who is a co-investigator on the trial, said it was first-of-its-kind.
"We hope that this test could become a regular part of antenatal care," Associate Professor Hastie said.
"It would be a simple blood test taken around 36 weeks gestation, helping to reassure many women but will also provide a vital window to intervene for those who need it."
In 2020, the University of Melbourne research team based at Mercy Hospital for Women found that low levels of a protein called SPINT1 in the blood flags pregnancies where fetuses are severely growth restricted.
The study's chief investigator, Professor Stephen Tong from the University of Melbourne and the Mercy Hospital for Women, said these fetuses are small and unwell because the placenta is functioning poorly.
"They are at 10-15 times increased risk of stillbirth,'' Professor Tong said "Knowing when SPINT1 protein levels are low in the blood will allow early intervention to prevent infant loss of life.
"The baby can be birthed via a caesarean section or induced labour before a stillbirth happens.
"The TIM-TAMs study will assess the diagnostic performance of SPINT1 as a test of placental health in diverse Australian conditions, from Broome, Albury Wodonga to Gold Coast, Newcastle and across Melbourne."
Ms White, who announced the funding along with a number of other successful MRFF grant schemes, said pregnancy loss has a profound and far-reaching effect on parents, families and communities.
"I congratulate the University of Melbourne and grant recipients and look forward to seeing how their research delivers real change for women, babies and families," Ms White said.
Professor Tong said blood tests are commonly ordered to assess the health of organs like the liver, kidneys and thyroid.
"We still don't have one for the placenta and we hope SPINT1 may become the first test of placental health."
Sabrina den Braber, whose daughter was growth-restricted and delivered via emergency c-section at 30 weeks and weighing 1kg, said she first noticed at 25 weeks that her baby's movements had reduced slightly.
"I'm really grateful for the care that I received at the Mercy Hospital in the perinatal unit, and then in NICU where my daughter spent two months," Ms den Barber said. "She was finally able to be sent home, weighing 2.4 kilos and now she's a thriving 5 and a half year old who started prep this year."
Additional University of Melbourne projects receiving funding include:
- $997,063 for a study looking at understanding mechanisms and optimising health after early menopause, led by Professor Martha Hickey: This will be the first study to determine the genetic and environmental risk factors for early menopause, deliver an evidence-based tool for diagnosis and management and new health information and support resources for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) women who are at elevated risk of early menopause.
- $652,453 for the FERTILE Study: Evaluating ovarian toxicity Outcomes Following Immunotherapy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC), led by Dr Wanyuan Cui: This study will assess ovarian function in premenopausal women with early-stage, curable triple negative breast cancer receiving chemoimmunotherapy, and will provide the first prospective human data on the impact of chemoimmunotherapy on ovarian function.
