MUMBAI: An AI-based genetic study by local scientists could help reduce preterm births, a leading cause for infant deaths and disabilities.
Preterm, or early birth, affects the growth and development of organs such as the brain, heart, lungs and liver. A premature baby is more likely than a full-term baby to have issues with breathing, staying warm or feeding and is at a higher risk of developmental delays.
Now, a first-of-its-kind study in India has found three microorganisms, three genes and three bacterial pathways that trigger infection in a pregnant woman’s birth canal, thereby increasing the risk of preterm birth.The study is a joint collaboration between the Parel-based National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health (NIRRCH), New Delhi’s Indian Council of Medical Research division of biomedical informatics and Noida’s Amity Institute of Biotechnology.
In India, one in six babies born is premature and the cause in many is unknown. Several studies have shown that microbial infections in the vagina may cause preterm births, but there hasn’t been adequate clarity on the kinds of organisms that cause this. “Our AI-based analysis has identified microorganisms and chemicals that may cause premature births,” said the study’s main author Dr Abhishek Sengupta from Amity Institute of Biotechnology. One of the authors of the study, published in the latest issue of ‘American Journal of Reproductive Immunology’, is Dr Deepak Modi from Parel’s NIRRCH.
To zero down on the most common bacteria responsible for infections in the vagina, the team looked at global data from 3,757 women across various ethnicities. While 966 samples related to preterm births, the remaining 2,791 were from mothers who had full-term deliveries.
“We then applied an artificial intelligence approach and discovered some bacterial species that were in higher amounts in women who delivered preterm,” said the authors of the study. Dr Sengupta said the team identified three microorganisms — Shuttleworthia, Megasphaera and Sneathia — that triggered the release of certain chemicals in high amounts that caused preterm birth.
“The types of microbes that increased susceptibility were different by country of origin,” said Dr Sengupta. For instance, the bacterial composition in women from European or African nations was different from the composition in Indian women.
The researchers believe that the AI approach will help researchers analyse their data better and discover more of the microbes that cause preterm birth. “We are in the process of setting up an AI-based software and kit that will be accessible to all women and doctors to identify microorganisms leading to urinary tract infection, sexually transmitted infections or pregnancy-related complications,” they said.
In India, such applications could have a positive effect. At present, preterm birth and low birth weight are major causes of neonatal and child mortality in India, with 3.5 million babies born prematurely and 0.3 million children dying each year before the age of five due to complications from preterm birth.