Australian and New Zealand Placental Research Association

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The Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth (Stillbirth CRE) is a national collaboration addressing the neglected tragedy of stillbirth. Through a priority driven program, the Stillbirth CRE aims to reduce the rate of stillbirth and improve care for parents and families whose baby is stillborn. The Stillbirth (Stillbirth CRE) brings together parents, parent advocates, health care professionals, researchers, professional colleges, and policy makers, to reduce stillbirths and improve the quality care for women and families after stillbirth. The Stillbirth CRE work program focuses on research that translates into improved maternity care and better health outcomes for women and their babies.

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Stillbirth CRE Program 2: Identifying novel placental biomarkers

A national collaboration has been established to identify novel placental biomarkers for pre-clinical testing. This national consortium of placental biologists and clinicians are working on placental mechanisms and circulating biomarkers that may be early indicators of pregnancies at risk of a stillbirth.

 

Part of this work involves developing a national database of placental samples to promote and facilitate collaborative placental research, as well as standardised processes for the collection and analysis of placental samples. Collection protocols are designed as a basic minimal guide to placental tissue collection for biobank storage that meets the agreed standards of the Stillbirth CRE. Current protocols and procedures can be found on the Stillbirth CRE website.