This innovation would offer greater precision than current techniques, enabling intensive surveillance and programmed termination of pregnancy to prevent complications.
Dr. Sebastián Illanes, an academic from the School of Medicine, will lead an innovative study focused on non-coding RNAs and their potential use in the diagnosis of late fetal growth retardation. The research is supported by the biotechnology company Pregnóstica SpA.
The project, which will be made possible thanks to the award of funds through the IDeA R&D 2025 competition, "seeks to develop a tool to predict, at a specific time during pregnancy, which babies are not growing properly due to placental malfunction. This methodology would offer greater accuracy than current techniques, enabling intensive surveillance and scheduled termination of pregnancy to prevent complications."Dr. Illanes comments.
The Reproductive Biology Laboratory team will participate in the study, together with members of the University's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Patient recruitment will be carried out at the Universidad de los Andes Clinic, while some blood tests will be performed in conjunction with the National University of Singapore.