21/03/2006

WellBeing of Women, the only UK charity dedicated to funding vital research and raising awareness of all aspects of reproductive health, has awarded a grant of over £117,400 to Professor Andrés López Bernal at the University of Bristol to research labour-inducing enzymes. The project involves close collaboration between Professor López Bernal’s team at St. Michael’s Hospital, which is run by United Bristol Healthcare Trust and the Dorothy Hodgkin Building, Dr John Crosby in the department of Chemistry, and Professor Michel Fortier, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Canada.

Preterm labour accounts for 7% of deliveries and remains a major cause of long-term disability or death of the newborn baby, with enormous psychological trauma to the parents and high cost in medical care. Preterm labour remains a major clinical problem due to the poor understanding of the mechanism behind activation of the womb for birth.

The decidua forms the lining of the womb and is an important tissue involved in implantation and the establishment of pregnancy, but its role in the mechanism of birth is not fully understood.

Commenting of the study, Professor López Bernal said, “This study will compare tissues from pregnant women before and after labour to establish if there are possible differences in the activity of a group of decidual enzymes (aldoreductases) associated with premature birth. These enzymes have dual roles in the uterus: increasing the production of prostaglandins (a group of hormones involved in the onset of labour) and reducing the activity of pregnancy-maintaining hormones.”

It is hoped that the research will increase our knowledge of the mechanism for birth and point the way for a safer, more efficient treatment of preterm labour.

The charity’s Director, Liz Campbell said; “WellBeing of Women is about life –helping enable it, sustain it and make it of the best quality. By funding vital research, like this important study, we aim to make a valuable contribution to the development of tomorrow’s treatments.”

Professor López Bernal is available for media interviews – please contact WellBeing of Women’s Press Office on 020 7772 6317.

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