Predicting Preemies
“全球十大突破性技术”之早产预测
By Rita Koch

Predicting preemies means recognizing the chances of a preterm baby. Usually, the standard period of gestation for a human being is 40 weeks. Babies that stay less than 37 weeks in the mother’s womb are considered preterm babies. There are a lot of risks associated with preterm babies, primarily including their neural and physical growth, and the mortality rate of preterm babies is higher within the first five years of birth. Developed countries with better healthcare facilities often save the lives of preterm babies, but in the growing stages, these babies sometimes develop several disorders, including Down syndrome, which is genetic.
 

With these challenges in mind, bio technicians have worked on discovering a method of predicting preemies. In the past, genius minded Leonardo Da Vinci also endeavoured to discover possible reasons for a preterm baby, although he didn't write anything concrete about it. However, a biological engineer named Stephen Quake discovered a unique way to forecast preemies. It takes only a blood test to predict whether a baby will be born on time or preterm. Let's dive in to find out how this technology works and what it can bring to us.
 

早产是指妊娠不满37周的分娩。积极开展早产的预测并及时提供预防性干预措施，对降低围产儿病死率及发病率有着重要意义。斯坦福大学的生物工程师 Stephen Quake 已经找到了一种方法来解决医学界最棘手的问题之一：大约十分之一的婴儿过早出生。
 

How does this technology work?

Before starting to work on predicting preemies, Quake was working on predicting the neural behaviour of humans through blood tests. He observed that every change happening in our body can be traced by studying patterns in the blood, because blood goes to every part of the body. For predicting potential disorders in a baby, doctors used to take blood from the womb to study DNA patterns, but since this could lead to pregnancy failure in some circumstances, nobody dares to take this risk until very necessary.
 

Quake has found a concrete solution to these problems by inventing a method of predicting preemies through an ordinary blood test on the mother. He was motivated to research this issue after his daughter was born prematurely, and by the time his daughter reached the junior year of high school, he had discovered this method. In his study, he found that women who give birth to premature babies show a different pattern in their blood than do normal pregnant women.
 

Quake chose to study the pattern of RNA compounds in the blood instead of DNA to obtain results. This variance in RNA pattern between a healthy gestation and premature gestation is the result of the interaction between mother and children. For predicting preemies, samples of the mother's blood test are taken more than one time periodically during gestation. In those samples, seven types of RNA molecules are tested. In studies, it has been proved that these seven RNA molecules in blood are found in higher numbers in the case of preterm labour.
 

In his clinical trial, which was done on 38 African-American women, he could precisely forecast delivery dates. A new startup has been formed by his team to facilitate this testing worldwide to save millions of lives.
 

这项技术如何运作？


自由漂浮的 DNA 和 RNA 携带者以前需要侵入性细胞抓取细胞的信息，例如对肿瘤进行活组织检查或刺破孕妇的腹部进行羊膜穿刺术。不一样的是现在更容易检测和分析血液中无细胞遗传物质。
 

在过去几年中，研究人员开始通过从血液中检测肿瘤细胞的 DNA，以及通过血液检测对孕妇进行唐氏综合症等疾病的产前筛查。这些检测依赖于寻找 DNA 中的基因突变。另一方面，RNA 是调节基因表达的分子物质，能够决定从基因中产生多少蛋白质。
 

通过对母亲血液中的自由漂浮的 RNA 进行测序，Quake 筛选出与早产有关的七种基因表达的波动。这让他可以识别可能过早分娩的女性。一旦被警告，医生可以采取措施避免早产，并给予孩子更好的生存机会。
 

Predicting Preemies To Healthier Babies
预测早产儿的健康状况

In preterm babies, several kinds of health disorders occur. The earliest recorded preterm baby who survived was 21weeks. Now that baby has reached his twenties and is heading towards a healthy life. But many preterm babies are not as lucky as he was. A lot of preterm babies are born with disabilities, like hearing or seeing impairment. Many of the children who are born preterm suffer from lifelong lung disease due to improper development in the womb. Babies who come out early may also suffer neurological injuries due to soft body parts.
 

If we can predict preemies, then we can be prepared for these challenges. Doctors can give appropriate medicine so that preterm delivery doesn't affect a baby’s life. Also, after the initial detection of preterm babies, precautionary measures can be taken to avoid any miscarriage.
 

Scientists have also invented an artificial womb for preterm babies. This artificial womb can be used for babies being born too early, even before 30 weeks.
 

Preterm babies are a problem around the globe; predicting them at the right time can save millions of lives, and save millions of children from being physically or mentally challenged. This technology will be a revolution in the field of medicine.
 

早产是导致新生儿死亡以及5岁以下儿童死亡最常见的原因，而存活下来的早产儿与足月儿相比，短期和长期并发症如呼吸窘迫综合征，支气管肺发育不良，坏死性小肠结肠炎，癫痫，脑瘫等的发生率明显增加。
 

早产婴儿是全球性的问题。在适当的时间进行预测可以挽救数百万的生命，这项技术将是医学领域的一场革命。