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Preventable measures
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_One of three stories recognizing Memorial's newest Terra Nova
Innovator Award recipients. Read them all by following the related
content links below._
Premature birth is one of the most common pregnancy complications.
Premature babies are also at higher risk of severe medical conditions
that can be life-threatening.
In Canada, eight per cent of births are premature, with Newfoundland
and Labrador having the second highest rate in the country.
If a premature birth is detected, there are treatments available to
protect the baby, but there are no reliable methods for early
detection.
### Potential biomarkers
Recent evidence has found a strong association between placental
dysfunction and pre-term births.
As one of Memorial University's newest Terra Nova Innovator Award
recipients, this is the focus of Dr. Cahill's research.
Dr. Cahill, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry,
Faculty of Science, and her team recently discovered altered
metabolite levels in biopsied placental tissue samples following
delivery of pre-term fetuses compared to healthy controls.
This is promising because placental metabolites may be potential
biomarkers for the early detection of metabolomic abnormalities that
lead to pre-term births.
> "Female-specific experiences, such as pregnancy, are underfunded and
> understudied." — Dr. Lindsay Cahill
With the Terra Nova Innovator Award, Dr. Cahill will study the use of
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for pregnant people to determine
whether chemical changes in the placenta can be used to detect whether
a baby is at risk.
The study will demonstrate the feasibility of this approach for
predicting pre-term birth and will provide critical information for a
future, large-scale clinical study.
"Female-specific experiences, such as pregnancy, are underfunded and
understudied," said Dr. Cahill. "This recognition signals to me that
this is changing and I am hopeful we will soon see significant
improvements in health for women and gender-diverse persons."
Dr. Lindsay Cahill says her work has the potential to provide
opportunities for interventions that will improve birth outcomes.
Photo: Rich Blenkinsopp
The project will be patient-oriented, involving patient partners at
all stages of the research.
To prepare for the project, Dr. Cahill and her team conducted a survey
of 156 pregnant people in Newfoundland and Labrador about their
perceptions of MRIs during pregnancy.
While MRI is considered to be safe during pregnancy, the survey
revealed there are fears and misconceptions about their use during
pregnancy.
### Predicting and diagnosing
One of Dr. Cahill's goals is to improve patient knowledge about the
benefits and safety of MRIs during pregnancy since accurate prediction
of pre-term births promises to have an immediate impact on society,
improving children's health outcomes.
"While this method has been tremendously successful at finding
chemical signatures for the detection of human diseases, the potential
in pregnancy has yet to be explored," she explained. "The proposed
approach will identify molecules essential for developing routine
tests that accurately predict and diagnose pre-term birth. This work
has the potential to significantly enhance fetal health by identifying
those at risk of pre-term birth, providing opportunities for
interventions that will improve birth outcomes."
Jackey Locke is a communications advisor in the Office of the Vice-
President (Research). She can be reached at jackey.locke@mun.ca.
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