A Noninvasive Molecular Clock for Fetal Development Predicts Gestational Age and Preterm Delivery

Ngo, T. T.; Moufarrej, M. N.; Rasmussen, M.-L. H.; Camunas-Soler, J.; Pan, W.; Okamoto, J.; Neff, N.; Liu, K.; Wong, R. J.; Downes, K.; Tibshirani, R.; Shaw, G. M.; Skotte, L.; Stevenson, D. K.; Biggio, J. R.; Elovitz, M. A.; Melbye, M.; Quake, S. R.

doi:10.1101/212910

bioRxiv · 10.1101/212910

A Noninvasive Molecular Clock for Fetal Development Predicts Gestational Age and Preterm Delivery

Ngo, T. T.·Moufarrej, M. N.·Rasmussen, M.-L. H.·Camunas-Soler, J.·Pan, W.·Okamoto, J.·Neff, N.·Liu, K.·Wong, R. J.·Downes, K.·Tibshirani, R.·Shaw, G. M.·Skotte, L.·Stevenson, D. K.·Biggio, J. R.·Elovitz, M. A.·Melbye, M.·Quake, S. R.

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Abstract

We performed a high time-resolution, longitudinal study of normal pregnancy development by measuring cell-free RNA (cfRNA) in blood from women during each week of pregnancy. Analysis of tissue-specific transcripts in these samples enabled us to follow fetal and placental development with high resolution and sensitivity, and also to detect gene-specific responses of the maternal immune system to pregnancy. We established a \"clock\" for normal pregnancy development and enabled a direct molecular approach to determine expected delivery dates with comparable accuracy to ultrasound, creating the basis for a portable, inexpensive fetal dating method. We also identified a related gene set that accurately discriminated women at risk for spontaneous preterm delivery up to two months in advance of labor, forming the basis of a potential screening test for risk of preterm delivery.

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Ngo, T. T., Moufarrej, M. N., Rasmussen, M.-L. H., Camunas-Soler, J., Pan, W., Okamoto, J., Neff, N., Liu, K., Wong, R. J., Downes, K., Tibshirani, R., Shaw, G. M., Skotte, L., Stevenson, D. K., Biggio, J. R., Elovitz, M. A., Melbye, M., Quake, S. R.. 2017-11-01. A Noninvasive Molecular Clock for Fetal Development Predicts Gestational Age and Preterm Delivery. https://doi.org/10.1101/212910

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