Episode 3: Engineering of a new screening tool for early prediction of preterm birth based on microRNA biomarkers

Preterm birth (PTB) is the leading cause of child death under 5, world-wide. Despite the long-lasting effects on both the child and their family and the existence of a variety of treatment options for expectant mothers at risk of preterm labour, no screening tools exist on the market for population-wide risk stratification. This project aims to develop a point-of-care (POC) predictive tool to identify women at risk of PTB at the 12th week of pregnancy by detecting cell-free nucleic acid biomarkers (so-called microRNAs or miRs) from the mother's blood. This will be done through engineering functionalised Peptide Nucleic Acid (PNA) probes for multiplexed microRNA sensing through oligonucleotide templated reactions and their incorporation into paper-based lateral flow assays (LFAs) for use at the POC. Loukia Petrou. Loukia is a medical student taking time out for her PhD as part of her MBBS/PhD and is now in her second year of the PhD'. For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. RA44292.6547685185