Predicting Preterm Birth Using Cell-Free Ribonucleic Acid

Abstract

Spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) is a complex and clinically heterogeneous condition that remains incompletely understood, leading to insufficient interventions to effectively prevent it from occurring. Cell-free ribonucleic acid signatures in the maternal circulation have the potential to identify biologically relevant subtypes of sPTB. These could one day be used to predict and prevent sPTB in asymptomatic individuals, and to aid in prognosis and management for individuals presenting with threatened preterm labor and preterm prelabor rupture of membranes.

Keywords: Cell-free RNA; Cervical insufficiency; Etiology; Preterm prelabor rupture of membranes; Screening model; Spontaneous preterm birth; Transcriptomics.