Key to saving lives of newborns lies in half a teaspoon of blood, study claims

[nitpicker]

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/mar/20/key-to-saving-lives-newborns-half-a-teaspoon-of-blood-study-claims

Key to saving lives of newborns lies in half a teaspoon of blood, study claims

Karen McVeigh

Wed 20 Mar 2019 07.30 GMT Last modified on Wed 20 Mar 2019 07.32 GMT

A groundbreaking study has claimed that the key to saving the lives of newborns is found in just half a teaspoon of blood.

Research has revealed dramatic changes in the immune systems of newborns, which scientists say could transform our understanding of disease in babies.

Co-led by the MRC Unit The Gambia, at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and published in Nature Communications, the research revealed changes in development pathways within the cells of newborns related to fighting infection.

Researchers took blood samples from babies in a health centre in the Gambia, at birth and then again at either one, three or seven days old. They found thousands of changes in gene expression and in components related to immunity in babies in the first week of life. They then compared the findings with those in samples taken from a group of babies in Papua New Guinea. They concluded the changes were not random, but age-specific.

One of the biggest challenges in gathering data on newborn development has been how to collect blood samples large enough to profile tiny babies. The researchers overcame this by refining their techniques to allow smaller samples.

Researchers said they hoped the findings would inform vaccine studies targeted at newborns, the population most vulnerable to fatal infections, particularly in the developing world.
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