Research overview
This research project aims to make antenatal steroid treatments safer and more effective for preterm babies.
The project hopes to change how doctors give antenatal steroid treatment to mothers at risk of preterm births, potentially saving more babies and improving their health.
Preterm birth is the leading cause of death and disability in children under five, with up to 10 per cent of babies born prematurely in Western Australia.
Antenatal steroid therapy, given to mothers to help their babies’ lungs develop, is an important part of care for these pregnancies.
However, the project’s research team has found that the current method – injecting high doses of steroids into the mother – is less effective at helping the baby’s lungs mature and may increase the risk of brain problems, compared to a constant, low-dose exposure given intravenously.
In response, they are investigating how constant, low doses of the steroid betamethasone could reduce risks and improve lung development for preterm babies.
The long-term goal of the research is to develop a new treatment method that becomes the standard for mothers at risk of preterm birth, not just in Western Australia but around the world.
Project researchers
Dr Haruo Usuda
Funders
Channel 7 Telethon Trust
Project timeline
Commenced 2025