Roberto Romero, MD, Chief

The Perinatology Research Branch (PRB) conducts clinical and laboratory research in maternal and fetal diseases responsible for excessive infant mortality in the United States. The PRB focuses on mechanisms of disease responsible for premature labor and delivery, with particular emphasis on the role of subclinical intrauterine infection and inflammation. The prenatal diagnosis of congenital anomalies is also a major area of interest.

The NICHD awarded a contract and a lease to establish a facility and support the operation of the PRB in Michigan. The facility was delivered to the NICHD in February 2005 and is housed at Hutzel Women’s Hospital. It has access to a patient population with a high rate of pregnancy complications and brings to bear the academic resources of three major universities: Wayne State University, the University of Michigan, and Michigan State University. The Branch plans to develop strong collaborative relationships with the universities, which are all part of the Life Science Corridor established by the state of Michigan to attract and support research and development in the biomedical field. The Branch will continue to focus on development of the physical plan, organization, and recruitment of support staff.

Premature birth is the leading cause of perinatal mortality and morbidity worldwide. The PRB has defined pre-term labor as a syndrome and determined that at least 25 percent of all pre-term infants are born to women with subclinical intrauterine infection. Moreover, the Branch has provided evidence that a substantial number of premature neonates are critically ill before birth. Thus, in proposing that the onset of premature labor has survival value in the context of intrauterine infection, the Branch studied several components of the innate immune system, including neutrophils and Toll-like receptors as well as the role of allergy in causing pre-term labor and delivery. The Branch also used a genome-wide approach to identify differentially regulated genes in patients with premature rupture of membranes.

Congenital anomalies are the second leading cause of perinatal mortality in the United States. Advances in imaging techniques have allowed the in utero detection with ultrasound of many anatomical defects . The PRB has therefore initiated a series of projects to improve the detection of congenital anomalies and assess fetal growth and development with the use of three-dimensional ultrasound.