SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mirvie, a pioneer in predicting unexpected pregnancy complications, today announced the publication of a study in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, a leading obstetrics and gynecology medical journal. The results demonstrate the Mirvie RNA platform is first to predict preterm birth by revealing the underlying biology of each pregnancy. The breakthrough research shows the platform can predict the condition months before symptoms occur and identify distinct biological pathways driving its development.
The publication, Predictive RNA profiles for early and very early spontaneous preterm birth, analyzed tens of thousands of RNA messages from 242 ethnically diverse pregnant individuals using the Mirvie RNA platform. Specific RNA messages were able to predict preterm birth months before the occurrence of any symptoms. Importantly, the platform was able to identify distinct biological pathways likely driving the development of preterm birth, creating new options for therapeutic interventions. Key findings include:
- RNA messages related to premature changes to the mom’s cervix predicted three out of four cases of early preterm birth (less than 35 weeks), two months in advance on average.
- Distinct RNA messages involved with amino acid metabolism and insulin-like growth factor pathways predicted cases of extremely premature birth (less than 25 weeks).
“This study shows the Mirvie RNA platform has the potential to transform how we detect, prevent, and treat preterm birth. Early prediction of preterm birth with identification of the underlying biology creates new opportunities for pregnancy health. It enables tailoring existing interventions to patients based on their unique biology and allows the development of new interventions directly targeting distinct causes of preterm birth,” said Michal A. Elovitz, M.D., the Hilarie L. Morgan and Mitchell L. Morgan President’s Distinguished Professor in Women’s Health at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Chief Medical Advisor at Mirvie.
Unexpected complications affect one in five pregnancies, with large economic costs and lifelong health consequences for mom and baby.[1],[2],[3] Preterm birth often leaves families in a state of crisis and is the primary driver of childhood morbidity and mortality, frequently resulting in neonatal intensive care for the baby’s survival.[4] Women and doctors lack the tools to understand the underlying causes of preterm birth needed for proactive, preventive, and personalized pregnancy care. As a result, today’s generalized treatment approaches are less effective without the benefit of targeting the underlying biology of the condition.
“Preterm birth remains exceptionally challenging to predict and treat because we lack a comprehensive understanding of the underlying causes that drive it. It is vital for us to understand the biology leading to preterm birth so we can better address this complex condition and reduce its devastating burden on moms and babies. This is an encouraging study because it sheds new light on this often-catastrophic outcome for moms, babies and families,” said Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, M.D., M.S., Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist, Professor and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at UC San Diego Health and a Principal Investigator of ongoing studies evaluating the Mirvie RNA platform.
The results build on landmark research recently published in Nature demonstrating the Mirvie RNA platform can predict preeclampsia months before symptoms occur.
About The Mirvie RNA Platform
The proprietary Mirvie RNA platform combines revolutionary analysis of tens of thousands of RNA messages from the baby, the placenta and the mom, with machine learning. The platform opens a new window into pregnancy health for women to act and their doctors to intervene before unexpected complications become a crisis. It enables proactive, preventive, and personalized pregnancy care for the well-being of moms and babies. Mirvie is conducting ongoing clinical research to validate existing peer-reviewed evidence, to enhance the Mirvie RNA platform performance, and to improve the understanding of other pregnancy complications.
About Mirvie
Mirvie is shaping the future of pregnancy health by providing women and their doctors with an early detection window to intervene before unexpected pregnancy complications become a crisis. One in five pregnancies is impacted by complications that lead to lifelong health consequences for mom and baby. The proprietary Mirvie RNA platform uses a simple blood test to reveal vital information about a pregnancy’s unique biology and detect complications months before they occur. The idea for Mirvie was sparked by the personal experience of one of the founders whose daughter was born prematurely. Mirvie’s team of world-class scientists and entrepreneurs have brought to market category-first, non-invasive tests in both women’s health and in early cancer detection, used by millions today. Founded in 2018, Mirvie has raised more than $30 million in early-stage financing from top-tier investors, including Khosla Ventures, and Mayfield Fund. Mirvie is based in South San Francisco, California. To learn more about Mirvie, please visit www.mirvie.com.
Dr. Elovitz is a scientific advisor to and has an equity interest in Mirvie.
References:
[1]: March of Dimes, Preeclampsia Foundation, IDF, CDC, WHO, UN, Sedgh et al., Reinebrant et al., McNair et al., Mirvie co-morbidity analysis.
[2]: Sedgh G, Singh S, Hussain R. Intended and unintended pregnancies worldwide in 2012 and recent trends. Stud Fam Plann. (2014)
[3]:
- https://hcupnet.ahrq.gov/#setup for aggregate MDC14 and MDC15-related costs
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11362/pdf/Bookshelf_NBK11362.pdf
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28708975/
- https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/pop.2009.12303
- https://healthcostinstitute.org/images/pdfs/iFHP_Report_2017_191212.pdf
- https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2019/01/cesarean-delivery-on-maternal-request
- All costs adjusted to 2020 dollars via https://www.in2013dollars.com/Medical-care/price-inflation/
- EU grossed up from US based on https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Government_expenditure_on_health and https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/NationalHealthExpendData with EU27 being 31% of total US health expenditures ($1.1T vs. $3.6T)
[4]: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/preterm-birth
