Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

The destruction of red blood cells known as hemolysis in the newborn baby is very dangerous, but existing clinical methods are not sufficient for rapid diagnosis and can lead to delays early-life care. A new Swietach Group paper has identified a biomarker that could significantly speed up the process.

© Shutterstock Images

Hemolytic disease in newborn babies is a blood disorder whereby the red blood cells break down at a fast rate. Hemolysis in the newborn can be life threatening, yet direct assays for rapid diagnosis are not currently available for regular monitoring. Instead, current clinical management relies on resource-intensive measurements of downstream ramifications, which potentially delays critical decisions in early-life care.

Using a cohort of newborn infants manifesting various hemolytic states, a team led by DPAG’s Associate Professor Pawel Swietach has demonstrated that intravascular hemolysis can be detected by measuring CAI excretion in a small sample of urine using cost-effective immunoreactivity techniques. This biomarker is the most direct and immediate readout of hemolysis, and has the potential to be measured by kits similar to those used in pregnancy tests for point-of-care use.

According to Prof Swietach: "This method can improve resource allocation, identify ‘at-risk’ patients earlier, and may be implemented under minimal-laboratory conditions. The method can also address the inadequacy of testing capacity in developing regions, where haemolytic triggers tend to be more common, and include protozoan infections (such as malaria), sepsis, birth trauma and various genetic traits, such as sickle cell and G6PDD."

The full paper, first authored by Postdoctoral Research Scientist Dr Alzbeta Hulikova, "Detection of Intravascular Hemolysis in Newborn Infants Using Urinary Carbonic Anhydrase I Immunoreactivity" can be read in The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine.

Similar stories

Can humans hibernate?

Illuminating new TEDx Talk from Professor of Sleep Physiology Vladyslav Vyazovskiy

New insights into chemogenetic designer drugs to enhance our study of behaviour

A collaborative team of researchers in DPAG and Pharmacology led by Dr Lukas Krone have uncovered striking new data demonstrating that two widely used designer drugs used to turn populations of neurons on and off in the brain cause unexpected effects on sleep. These results demonstrate a critical need to improve chemogenetic approaches in behavioural studies.

Unlocking the Secrets of cAMP Signalling in the Heart: A Pathway to Targeted Therapeutics

A new Zaccolo group study has revealed key new insights into the role of cAMP signalling in both healthy and disease settings within the heart. They have identified new cAMP nanodomains in cardiac muscle cells that have far reaching implications for the treatment of heart disease.

Key exosome subtype in cancer progression identified

Collaborative work from DPAG and Oncology researchers has revealed a potential new pathway to block the production of a specific group of exosomes made in the cell’s recycling system that can promote the growth of cancerous tumours.

New blood test from DPAG cardiac researchers could save lives of heart attack victims

Researchers from the Herring group have developed a blood test that measures stress hormone levels after heart attacks. The test – costing just £10 – could ensure patients receive timely life-saving treatment.