Birth of great research

A research program into preterm birth was launched on Thursday at the International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital of the China Welfare Institute in Shanghai.

Preterm birth, when a baby is born before 37 weeks, is one of the most critical public health problems in the world. 

It is the primary cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity, as well as the main factor in fatalities for children under 5 years old.

The mortality rate of newborns in China accounts for 48 percent of the deaths of children under 5 years old, 4 percent higher than the global rate.

Reducing the mortality rate of children under 5 years old is the main target of “Healthy China 2030.”

The mechanism of spontaneous premature delivery are not clear and there is no effective method to prevent and treat compilations of such birth, said Louis J. Muglia, leader of the program. 

He is the director of the Center for Prevention of Preterm Birth at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, an academician at the American Academy of Medical Sciences and a visiting professor at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine.

The research program team consists of scientists from home and abroad who will carry out the study at the International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital of the China Welfare Institute as well as seven other hospitals.

The researchers, specializing in pediatrics, gynecology, genetics and immunology, will be divided into four groups. 

They will explore the regulation and mechanism of delivery initiation, research into the initiation of spontaneous preterm labor, optimizing prediction, prevention and treatment of spontaneous premature birth and improving the treatment of premature infants. 

With large sample analysis and multi-center clinical research, the team expects to establish models for predicting preterm labor among Chinese women. It is also hoped it will provide theoretical and technical support for the construction of a precise prevention and treatment system.