Circulating MicroRNAs in Maternal Blood as Potential Biomarkers for Fetal Hypoxia In-Utero

Clare L Whitehead; Wan Tinn Teh; Susan P Walker; Cheryl Leung; Luke Larmour; Stephen Tong

Journal article

Circulating MicroRNAs in Maternal Blood as Potential Biomarkers for Fetal Hypoxia In-Utero

Clare L Whitehead, Wan Tinn Teh, Susan P Walker, Cheryl Leung, Luke Larmour, Stephen Tong

PLOS ONE | PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE | Published : 2013

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0078487

Abstract

Stillbirth affects 1 in 200 pregnancies and commonly arises due to a lack of oxygen supply to the fetus. Current tests to detect fetal hypoxia in-utero lack the sensitivity to identify many babies at risk. Emerging evidence suggests that microRNAs derived from the placenta circulate in the maternal blood during pregnancy and may serve as non-invasive biomarkers for pregnancy complications. In this study, we examined the expression of miRs known to be regulated by hypoxia in two clinical settings of significant fetal hypoxia: 1) labour and 2) fetal growth restriction. Six miRs (miR 210, miR 21, miR 424, miR 199a, miR 20b, and miR 373) were differentially expressed in pregnancies complicated b..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Susan Walker Author Obstetrics and Gynaecology Royal Women's Hospital/Mercy

Stephen Tong Author Obstetrics and Gynaecology Royal Women's Hospital/Mercy

Clare Whitehead Author Obstetrics and Gynaecology Royal Women's Hospital/Mercy

Related Projects (1)

MEASURING RNA IN MATERNAL BLOOD TO MONITOR THE WELLBEING OF GROWTH-RESTRICTED FETUSES

Severely growth restricted fetuses are at peril of stillbirth from low oxygenation. While ultrasound monitoring improves outcomes, babies ar..

Grants

Awarded by NHMRC

Funding Acknowledgements

Funding sources for this work included the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Arthur Wilson Scholarship, a William Buckland Foundation Grant, a Medical Research Foundation For Women and Babies Grant, and a NHMRC Project Grant (#1028521). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.