Cork scientists identify biomarkers that could detect brain injury in newborn babies
Scientists in Cork have identified new blood biomarkers in the umbilical cord that may detect brain injury in newborn babies.
The breakthrough research was undertaken by Ireland’s foetal and neonatal research centre, the Infant Centre, at Cork University Maternity Hospital and University College Cork.
Each year, lack of oxygen to the brain at birth affects 200 babies in Ireland and results in death or disability in two million infants around the world.
The condition, known as hypoxic ischaematic encephalopathy (HIE), causes brain injury due to lack of oxygen and can leave newborns with permanent neurological damage or cerebral palsy. HIE can be difficult to detect in newborns.
However, researchers at the Infant Centre have identified two biochemical signals in the umbilical cord that could provide an early detection system for HIE in newborns. Early intervention in neonatal brain injury is critical, so that the successful brain-cooling therapy can be initiated immediately to reduce brain injury and improve outcomes.
The findings are published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Neurology and validated the involvement of two microRNAs in HIE.
MicroRNAs are small strands of genetic code that can control gene expression and protein production in the cell. They are found throughout the body, and Infant researchers have found them to be abundant in umbilical cord blood, and significantly decreased in newborns with HIE. They may provide the first clue that significant injury has occurred and help doctors to decide which infants to transfer to a cooling centre for treatment.
Consultant paediatrician and principal investigator at Infant, Deirdre Murray, said the results of the research were “very promising”.
“In two different cohorts, across two countries, we are seeing the same patterns,” said Prof Murray.
“The next task will be automating this analysis, so that it can be done rapidly at the cot-side.
We are still researching these microRNA to understand if they have an important role in the cascade of injury which occurs in HIE. They are tiny nuclear codes, which act like passwords to control the production of proteins in the cell.
“Some of these proteins may have important roles. We have now been funded by the Irish Research Council to examine whether manipulating these microRNA could reduce or prevent brain injury. There is still a lot of work to be done and we look forward to progressing this important research.”
The study was supported by funding from the Health Research Board and the National Children’s Research Centre and is the result of 10 years of studying early brain injury. Umbilical cord blood samples from 170 newborn babies from Ireland and Sweden were collected and analysed over a number of years.
