Analysis of amniotic fluid to predict preterm labour

Peter Stone

About twelve days after conception, an amniotic sac containing fluid forms around an embryo to protect and nourish the developing baby. Fetal cells, protein and fetal urine freely move within the amniotic sac. During amniocentesis, a sample of the amniotic fluid is extracted and analysed for genetic or chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus. Analysis of amniotic fluid could also help to identify women at risk of preterm labour.

With the permission of participating women, Professor Peter Stone has created an Amniotic Fluid Bank that holds samples of amniotic fluid from more than one thousand New Zealand women. In collaboration with Professor Carl Weiner of the University of Kansas, Peter now plans to use proteomics – a new science that studies the structure and function of proteins – to analyse these samples to determine whether certain proteins were present in the amniotic fluid of women who delivered prematurely. If a specific protein can be linked with preterm labour, the gene responsible for the protein could potentially be identified and “turned off”. In this way the risks associated with preterm labour could be avoided through amniocentesis.

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