Evaluating a new test to find the best treatment to delay preterm labour
Research institutes:
University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)
David Geffen School of Medicine(with collaborators at Imperial College London,
Karius Inc., and Palacký University Olomouc, Czechia)Project dates:
Grant Awarded: 1 Oct 2019
Funding awarded:
Grant Amount: £39,120
Infections in the amniotic fluid can cause preterm birth. But finding the right antibiotic to treat these infections currently takes too long. Prof Suhas Kallapur is evaluating a new test which could identify the bacteria causing an infection much faster than current techniques. This could help more women in preterm labour get the treatment they need to prevent their baby being born too soon.
The challenge
Some cases of preterm labour are caused by an infection in the amniotic fluid. Antibiotics might help to delay labour if they were given as soon as possible. But the tests we currently use to identify the bacteria causing the infection, so we know which antibiotic to give, can take a long time to produce results. This delay can reduce the chances of successful treatment.
We need new tests that can quickly work out which bacteria is causing an infection in the amniotic fluid. Such a test would mean that doctors can give the right drug as early as possible, and hopefully prevent the baby from being born too soon.
The project
Prof Suhas Kallapur is working with a biotechnology company who have developed a test they say can accurately identify more than 1,000 different types of bacteria and other microorganisms. The test works by reading tiny fragments of DNA released by these microbes when they are killed by the immune system. The manufacturers of the test say that it could identify bacteria that other DNA-based tests are not able to detect, much faster.
In this preliminary study funded by Borne, Prof Kallapur is evaluating this new test and its abilities to identify bacteria in amniotic fluid. The test is being compared to other genetic tests, and the standard test which involves growing the bacteria in the lab.
The samples being tested come from two collections – the Borne-funded PROMPT study, and another collection from collaborators in Czechia. In both these collections, the women donating the samples were about to go into preterm labour (e.g. their waters had broken early).
Prof Kallapur and his team are testing samples of amniotic fluid, mother’s blood, and the baby’s umbilical cord blood, from the same pregnancy. This is allowing them to work out which of these samples provides the most reliable information about any potential infection.
What difference will this project make?
In this project, Prof Suhas Kallapur hopes to show that this new DNA test could provide a faster and more accurate way to identify which bacteria is causing a woman to go into preterm labour. The results from this preliminary project will allow Prof Kallapur to start a clinical trial to assess whether this quicker test improves treatment for women.
This research could eventually lead to a new way to identify the correct treatment for women in preterm labour – helping to ensure their baby is born healthy and at the right time.
Project details
Project Leader
Prof Suhas Kallapur
Location
University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) David Geffen School of Medicine
Project Team
Dr Nishel Shah (Imperial College London), Shiv Kale (Karius Inc.), Dr Pietro Presicce (UCLA), and Prof Marian Kacerovsky (Palacký University Olomouc, Czechia)
