€6 million for research in to fetal growth restriction

UCL researchers in a successful academic-industrial collaboration have been awarded an EU Framework Programme 7 Grant of almost €6 million to develop a therapy for fetal growth restriction. The funding has been awarded to the EVERREST * consortium of seven leading EU higher education institutions, led by UCL. The main industrial collaborator engaged in the research is Ark Therapeutics Group plc, London, UK, a contract development and manufacturing organisation with specialist expertise and facilities for the development of viral based products. The consortium is developing a therapy for fetal growth restriction, a major problem of pregnancy affecting up to eight per cent of all pregnancies. The condition is severe in approximately 1 in 500 fetuses and affected fetuses are extremely small, usually less than 500g. Babies born from growth restricted pregnancies are not only at increased risk of perinatal death and complications such as cerebral palsy, but there are long term consequences for their health which include diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The recent improvements in the postnatal care of premature growth restricted babies means that more of them survive delivery, but at great cost.