The Ritchie Centre

Investigating & predicting pregnancy complications

Project leader: Dr Stephen Tong

While the majority of pregnancies are healthy, some become complicated by serious diseases that can put the life of the baby - and sometimes the mother - at risk. Three pregnancy complications are responsible for most fetal losses: growth restriction, pre-eclampsia  and preterm birth.

Developing cures for diseases is only possible after the biology causing the disease is understood. Unfortunately, efforts to understand why obstetric complications happen are hamstruck by the fact that placenta and fetus are inaccessibly tucked deep within the mother.

It has recently been discovered that RNA is released from the placenta into the mother’s blood during pregnancy. RNA molecules are part of a vital message relay system in the cell. They are the blueprint for tens of thousands of proteins that keep cells alive and functioning. The potential is enormous. Placental RNA can be collected without the (impractical) need to pick off a piece of the placenta itself, but rather, by simply taking some of the mother's blood.

We are exploring the exciting possibility that placental health can be non-invasively studied by interrogating placental RNA profiles in mother’s blood. Since the RNA blood profiles of complicated pregnancies are very different to healthy pregnancies, it could also be used for diagnostic applications.  Thus, we have a productive program of research looking at RNA blood profiles of women with different obstetric complications.

** Dr Stephen Tong is also undertaking ground breaking research into ectopic pregnancies, within the Centre for Cancer Research.