Developing a blood test for the detection of congenital heart disease during pregnancy, to both enable earlier and more sensitive diagnosis, and improve understanding of why these conditions develop.
Diagnostic
Congenital heart disease (CHD) develops before a baby is born and is the most common type of birth defect in the UK, affecting up to 13 babies each day. These defects range from very serious, to relatively mild, and with modern surgeries many children go on to live long, healthy lives. However, it is essential that these conditions are diagnosed as early as possible, ideally before birth.
During pregnancy there are several tests on the health of the baby. Heart conditions are most often diagnosed at week 20 of pregnancy when doctors take a photo of the growing baby, known as the anomaly scan. However, this photo is not very clear, and things can be missed.
Blood samples are taken several times during pregnancy and various tests are performed on these samples. Drawing blood from the mother is a simple procedure that does not affect the baby. However, with a few limited exceptions, it is not currently possible to diagnose heart conditions from a blood test. This project aims to change this through the identification of substances, called “biomarkers”, including genetic material and molecules from the baby, which are present in the mother’s blood and may indicate a problem with the health of the unborn child.
To find these biomarkers, the team at Liverpool John Moores University, led by Dr Iain Dykes will collect blood from pregnant women carrying a baby already diagnosed with CHD and compare this to blood from women carrying a healthy pregnancy and non-pregnant women. The blood samples will be analysed to determine whether there is a difference in these blood samples between healthy pregnancies and CHD pregnancies.
It is hoped that this work will lead to the development of a simple blood test for the detection of congenital heart disease. Such a test would allow parents and medical professionals to make informed decisions about the best care pathway for the child once they are born.
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