| New Haven, CT, (February 6, 2006)-- In its ongoing effort to predict and prevent premature birth, the March of Dimes will support the innovative research of six scientists worldwide with combined grants of more than $2.4 million. The second annual Prematurity Research Initiative (PRI) grants were awarded to four U.S.-based scientists and two working in other countries. Two of the six grants were awarded to scientists at the Yale University School of Medicine. Charles Lockwood, MD, Professor and Chair, and Errol R. Norwitz, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, are each conducting research into aspects of prematurity, here in Connecticut.
Dr. Lockwood’s goal is to explore the concept that placental abruption leads to preterm delivery by altering responses to progesterone. He aims to devise a hormonal treatment to prevent the 40 percent of preterm delivery that is associated with abruption and uterine bleeding.
Dr. Norwitz will look for genetic differences in uterine responses to progesterone that cause some women to have preterm labor and delivery, as a basis for devising better means of prediction and prevention.
“These grants show the March of Dimes increasing investment in research to discover the causes of preterm labor,” said Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes. “The number of premature births is now more than 500,000 annually and the long-term consequences can be very severe, including cerebral palsy, mental retardation, chronic lung disease, and vision and hearing loss. Supporting research is critical if we are to end this epidemic.”
The preterm birth rate has increased 33 percent since 1981, the first year the government began tracking premature birth rates. While there are several factors that can help predict the risk of preterm birth, there is no known cause for half the cases of premature birth.
The other four March of Dimes PRI grants were awarded to:
Martin Kharrazi, BA, MPH, PhD, Research Scientist Supervisor in the Genetic Disease Branch of the California Department of Health Services
Johnny R. Porter, PhD, Department of Physiology at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center
Timothy Mark Frayling, PhD, Senior Lecturer of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Peninsula Medical School, University of Exeter in the U. K.
Jeffrey Andrew Keelan, PhD, MSc, Senior Lecturer at the Liggins Institute, University of Auckland in New Zealand.
The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies and in 2003 launched a campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at marchofdimes.com or its Spanish language Web site at nacersano.org.
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