A new study, published in Nature Pediatric Research by scientists at the UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative (PTBI-CA), assessed an expanded newborn screening method to improve outcomes in preterm-born infants.
Using the results of standard newborn profiles and blood tests, the team identified a combination of six newborn characteristics and 19 metabolites that, together, created a vulnerability profile that reliably identified preterm babies at substantially increased risk for death and severe illness. Illnesses may include serious breathing and digestive conditions known as respiratory distress syndrome and necrotizing enterocolitis.
This study is paving the way for continued research on how these models could help preterm newborn babies. The next phase of this study is funded by the National Institutes of Health and begins this fall through 2025. It will enroll 500 very preterm babies in California and Iowa to test how well the newly identified metabolic models work in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) settings. As part of this work, PTBI-CA researchers will collaborate with the Benioff Center for Microbiome Medicine to look at the microbiomes of babies in the new study to identify additional drivers of short- and long-term of outcomes.
Authors: The study was led by Scott P. Oltman. Elizabeth E. Rogers, James G. Anderson, Martina A. Steurer, Matthew S. Pantell, Mark A. Petersen, J. Colin Partridge, Deborah Karasek, Sky K. Feuer, Linda S. Franck, Larry Rand and Laura L. Jelliffe-Pawlowski of UCSF; Rebecca J. Baer of UC San Diego; Elizabeth A. Jasper, John M. Dagle and Kelli K. Ryckman of University of Iowa and Kharah M. Ross of University of Calgary are co-authors.
Funding: This work was supported by the UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative.
About the UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative: The UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative (PTBI) is a research enterprise whose mission is to eliminate racial disparities in preterm birth and improve health outcomes for babies born too soon through research, partnerships and education grounded in community wisdom. PTBI conducts and funds transdisciplinary research to identify promising interventions that can turn the curve on the preterm birth epidemic and create positive change for Black and brown families. Funded by Lynne and Marc Benioff, PTBI asserts structural and interpersonal racism along with other key social determinants are important drivers of an epidemic that disproportionately affects women of color in our state, and nationally. Learn more at pretermbirthca.ucsf.edu.
The Benioff Center for Microbiome Medicine (BCMM) stands committed to dismantling the structural barriers to education, research and employment endemic in our society, to promoting awareness of implicit bias and reinforcing inclusivity.
Our mission has never been more important.
