In February 2008, the March of Dimes Foundation awarded $3.5 million to 10 scientists who are trying to stem the growing pace of preterm birth. Two of the researchers received funds in the first round of awards in 2005. The 2008 grantees were:

Dr. Louis Muglia, Washington University, St. Louis, is a returning grantee. He is searching the genome to identify genetic variations that play key roles in the timing of spontaneous term and preterm delivery.

Dr. Carol Mendelson, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, is looking at the role of fetal lungs in triggering labor in mice. She also is a returning grantee.

Dr. Hui-Ju Tsai, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, is seeking to explain ethnic disparities in preterm birth rates by looking for genetic differences between African-American women who gave birth preterm and those who did not.
 
Dr. Siladitya Bhattacharya, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, studies information about grandmothers, mothers and daughters, to see if preterm birth is hereditary.

Dr. Glenna C. L. Bett, State University of New York, Buffalo, is studying the physical properties of uterine muscle as a way to develop a medical treatment that can delay or prevent preterm labor.

Dr. Dror Harats, the Sheba Medical Center, Israel, is using mice to explore the roles of certain maternal and fetal proteins in triggering spontaneous labor.

Dr. David Arnold Relman, Stanford University and Palo Alto Institute for Research and Education, California, is looking to identify obscure and elusive bacteria and other microbes that may cause preterm labor.

Dr. Linda C. Giudice, the University of California, San Francisco, is identifying obscure bacteria and other microbes in vaginal tissue to determine if they are associated with preterm delivery.

Dr. Mark Philippe, the University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, is studying mice to better understand the immune system's response to infections during pregnancy. The hope is that this understanding will serve as a basis for preventing preterm delivery.

Dr. Leonardo Pereira, the Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, is studying  whether protein patterns in cervical-vaginal fluid can be used to identify women with prior preterm births who are destined to deliver early again.

February 2009