The third annual Prematurity Research Initiative (PRI) grants were awarded to eight U.S. based scientists, two from Illinois, one each from Colorado, Kentucky, Iowa, Nevada, Vermont, and Washington state.

 Five of the research projects focus on what role a woman’s immune and inflammatory responses to infections may play in triggering labor. By moderating or suppressing inflammatory responses, it may be possible to prevent more premature births, which are the leading cause of newborn death in the United States.

One project explores the possibility that prematurity can result from long-time disturbances of the circadian clock that times daily cycles, such as sleep/wake periods and levels of various hormones. Such disturbances might involve environmental factors, or abnormal function of certain genes, such as the one called Clock.

Another project uses a unique Danish database to search for genetic and environmental factors that increase women’s risk of preterm labor and delivery. Yet another focuses on whether and how certain abnormalities of potassium balance in uterine muscle cells may lead to preterm contractions and delivery.

More than a half million babies are born too soon each year and the preterm birth rate has increased 30 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.

 “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 continues to rise. Supporting research is critical if we are to end this epidemic.”

To view the complete article and list of National PRI grantees, please visit http://search.marchofdimes.com/cgi-bin/MsmGo.exe?grab_id=0&page_id=457&query=2007%20pri&hiword=2007%20pri%20