The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched effort aimed at reducing the rate of preventable stillbirths in the United States. Investigators will develop tools, devices and other technologies that have the potential to affect diagnosis and prevention efforts relevant to stillbirth, which occurs in 1 in 160 deliveries in the U.S. About 23,600 stillbirths at 20 weeks or greater gestation are reported annually.
More than 60% of stillbirth cases remain unexplained even after exclusion of common causes, such as congenital abnormalities, genetic factors, and obstetric complications. NIH will fund the Stillbirth Research Consortium for more than $37 million over five years, pending the availability of funds, with $750,000 in co-funding from the Department of Health and Human Services.
"This consortium will provide an integrated, collaborative program to support cutting edge research to identify the root causes of stillbirth and inform evidence-based strategies to address stillbirth risks," said Alison Cernich, Ph.D., acting director of NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. "Too many families needlessly face the grief of stillbirth."
People who have experienced stillbirth are almost five times as likely to experience another stillbirth or other pregnancy associated complication. The rate of stillbirth is considerably higher among Black, American Indian, and Alaska Native people. About 40% of stillbirths that occur during labor and birth are considered potentially preventable.
The Stillbirth Consortium will consist of four research centers and a data coordinating center.
- The Data Coordinating Center at RTI International, Research Triangle, North Carolina, will facilitate development and implementation of common projects across the research centers and ensure rigor in study data and data sharing. The center will support common data elements, standard measures, and uniform data collection across research centers. The project will be led by Elizabeth McClure, Ph.D., and Carla Bann, Ph.D.
- The University of California San Diego Center for Stillbirth Prevention Center specializes in identifying the causes of placental dysfunction that underlie fetal growth restriction and contribute to stillbirth. The project is led by Mana Parast, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Perinatal Pathology Service; and Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, M.D., chair and professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive services.
- The Collaborative Action for Research to End Stillbirth (CARES) Research Center at Columbia University, New York City, has expertise in electronic health records and artificial intelligence-aided analysis to develop automated algorithms specifically for early identification of stillbirth risk and to develop novel biomarkers of underlying placental dysfunction for predicting stillbirth. The project is led by Uma Reddy, M.D., professor of obstetrics and gynecology; and Xiao Xu, Ph.D., associate professor of reproductive sciences.
- The University of Utah Stillbirth Research Center has expertise in education, bereavement/mental health and advocacy. The center will evaluate decreased fetal movement, stratification of stillbirth risk based on decreased fetal movement, and optimal strategies for managing it. This project is led by Robert Silver, M.D., professor of obstetrics and gynecology, University of Utah Health Sciences Center, Salt Lake City.
- The Nutrition and Outcomes of Reproductive Injury and Stillbirth related Harms (NOURISH) Research Center at Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, has expertise in the role of nutrition, chronic stress, cardiometabolic health, and placental dysfunction to identify promising interventions aimed at reducing preventable stillbirth. This project is led by Karen Gibbins, M.D., assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology; and Leslie Myatt, Ph.D., professor and director of perinatal research.
Funding for the projects will be provided by grants UM2HD119552 (coordinating center); UG1HD119608; UG1HD119613; UG1HD119614; UG1HD119576.
