An international study led by Vall d’Hebron Hospital, in collaboration with Francisco de Vitoria University, shows that analyzing placental biomarkers in blood can accurately identify pregnancies with small fetuses at risk of complications, thereby avoiding unnecessary induced labor and improving outcomes for mothers and newborns.
A clinical trial conducted at 20 Spanish hospitals has shown that measuring two proteins in maternal blood allows for the management of full-term pregnancies with low-birth-weight fetuses with the same level of accuracy as a Doppler ultrasound,. The study, known as GRAFD, has been published in the journal Nature Medicine and proposes a shift in the approach to medical decision-making during the final stages of pregnancy.
The test is based on the ratio of two placental biomarkers, sFlt-1 and PlGF, which, when measured, help determine whether it is advisable to induce labor or allow the pregnancy to continue until 39 or 40 weeks. This strategy has been shown to reduce the number of unnecessary inductions, decrease maternal and neonatal complications, and improve birth outcomes.
The research team includes Dr. Mar Gil and Dr. Raquel Martín, both researchers at Francisco de Vitoria University (UFV, specialists in maternal-fetal medicine at Torrejón University Hospital, and members of the iMaterna Foundation.
