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Dr David Olson featured at the University of Alberta's 'Report to Community 2009'

Posted: June 30, 2009

Probing the cause of preterm birth?

Alberta has the highest pre-term birth rate in the country at nine per cent. That’s about 4,000 babies born each year with increased risk of developmental delays and chronic health problems.
But a new interdisciplinary team aims to find out why those numbers are so high and how they can be reduced. Drawing on expertise from disciplines as varied as nursing and medical genetics, pediatrics, and public-health science, the international team of researchers is investigating what makes some Alberta women more prone to early delivery than others.
“What are the geographic and socioeconomic links?” says project co-director and
U of A physiologist David Olson. “What are the chemical, biological, and physiological pathways, or the DNA changes, in women who show no other signs of pre-term delivery?” Finding the answers “will be absolutely enormous,” he says. “The information could then be applied around the world.”
The team is also searching for ways to prevent premature births. One project looks at the role of peer-support groups in reducing stress. Another explores new drugs that block contractions during labour.
Whether social interventions, support groups, or chemical solutions, the ultimate goal is to extend pregnancy and delay pre-term delivery, says Olson.
“The more weeks you buy for the baby in the mother’s uterus, the better the baby’s outcomes.”

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