Research

Background

Low-dose aspirin is recommended from the 12th week of pregnancy for women and pregnant people who are identified as being at increased risk of pre-eclampsia. However, many women and pregnant people face challenges that prevent them from taking aspirin as advised.

To address this, we have teamed together with people just like you—along with charities, doctors, midwives, and researchers—to create the Pre-Eclampsia Prevention Resource. This resource is designed to help women and pregnant people make informed decisions about using aspirin and support them in taking it regularly.

What is PEPA study trying to do?

In the PEPA study, we aim to find out if the resource we created is helpful, easy to use, and can be delivered during regular appointments.

The research team will introduce this resource to a small group of pregnant women and people, and then gather feedback from them, their partners/supporters, and healthcare professionals about their experiences using it.

 

Where is the research being carried out?

Because we need only 30 people to participate in this project, it will be delivered at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne NHS Trust.

For more information about this study please contact Mrs Raya Vinogradov: [email protected]

Find out more here

One of the most common issues faced during childbirth is heavy bleeding. OBS UK have created a new way to manage heavy bleeding during and after childbirth (called the OBS UK care bundle).

The bundle helps to spot heavy bleeding and to standardise the treatment of heavy bleeding during childbirth.

In Wales, when the package was introduced, OBS UK found that the number of births requiring a blood transfusion was reduced and that large bleeds were reduced.

Studies are now being conducted throughout the NHS to see if the package can receive similar results to the results seen in Wales.  If the OBS UK care bundle is shown to make a big improvement to outcomes, then it may advise the new UK standard guidance for dealing with heavy bleeding during and after childbirth.

NENC Trusts participating: NTH, NHC, STH, STS

Study Website link: OBSUK Study

Type 1 diabetes is a relatively common metabolic disease in children and adolescents. It is caused by insulin deficiency. Insulin helps transport glucose (sugar) from blood into cells. Children with type 1 diabetes require life-long treatment with insulin.

This is the only screening test available for determining which children may develop type 1 diabetes. It will identify approximately 25 out of every 100 children who do so.

NENC Trusts participating: All 8 Trusts

Study Website link: INGR1D2 study | GPPAD

NENC led study

Those who agree to participate in this research would be donating such eggs, sperm or embryos to research. This research will study the processes that occur in the human egg just before fertilisation and over the next few days. We will transfer the nucleus from one egg to another so that we can study how the mitochondria are passed between cells.

NENC Trusts participating: NUTH

NENC led study

This GBS3 trial is looking at whether testing pregnant women for Group B Streptococcus reduces the risk of infection in newborn babies compared to the current strategy in place in the UK.

NENC Trusts participating: CDD, NTH, NHC, STH, NUTH

Study Website link: The iGBS3 Trial – Group B Strep Support (gbss.org.uk)

RADAR aims to evaluate if reducing and possibly stopping antipsychotic medication helps people to live more independently.

The study will be the first with this group of people that uses a gradual and flexible method of medication reduction, and that follows people up over the long-term.

NENC Trusts participating:

Study Website link: Research into Antipsychotic Discontinuation and Reduction | Psychiatry – UCL – University College London

 

In the SERVIS study we collect different types of non-invasive samples (this means we do not do anything extra to the babies to collect them), all with parents permission (signed consent) and under approval from the Research Ethics Committee

The aim of the study is to support important research by allowing us to examine why some babies develop problems and others stay healthy. Our research is focused around the gut, nutrition and infection, and the different studies within SERVIS all relate to these themes in one way or another.

NENC Trusts participating: NUTH

Study Website link: SERVIS study – NEONATAL RESEARCH

NENC led study

This study aims to find out which blood pressure medication is best at treating high blood pressure in pregnancy, as untreated high blood pressure can cause serious complications for the mother and the baby. We want to find out which of the two most commonly used medicines to treat this (labetalol and nifedipine) is the best at treating high blood pressure without having troublesome side effects.

NENC Trusts participating: CDD, NHC, STH, STS

Study Website link: Giant PANDA – University of Birmingham

Aims compare the effectiveness of calcium supplements plus standard antenatal care with standard care alone, for the prevention of pre-eclampsia and its complications in women at high risk of pre-eclampsia.

NENC Trusts participating: GH, STS

Study Website link: The CaPE trial – University of Birmingham

Excessive bleeding after childbirth (also known as postpartum haemorrhage or PPH) is a common problem which affects 1 in 20 women.

COPE is a research study to compare two drugs currently used to treat PPH, to decide which is better. The two drugs are carboprost and oxytocin.

NENC Trusts participating: GH, NTH, NHC, STS, NUTH

Study Website link: COPE (copestudy.uk)

The Cleft Collective cohort studies investigates the biological and environmental causes of cleft, the best treatments for cleft and the impact of cleft on those affected and their families

NENC Trusts participating: NUTH

Study Website link: The Cleft Collective | Bristol Dental School | University of Bristol

The twins trust funded St George’s Hospital and other fetal medicine centres to set up the first UK TTTS Registry, to collect data on all pregnancies affected by TTTS. This would enable long-term follow up of TTTS survivors at a national level and help identify how care and treatment for these pregnancies can be improved.

NENC Trusts participating: NTH, STH, STS, NUTH

Study Website link: Twins Trust | TTTS/Multiple Pregnancy Registry

We want to identify genetic causes of rare diseases, to improve diagnosis and to support work to develop and validate treatments. Our work will improve care for those with rare diseases and support their families.

NENC Trusts participating: NUTH

Study Website link: Rare Diseases BioResource (nihr.ac.uk)

This study will undertake analysis of the effects of cancer treatments on reproductive function in teenagers and young adults (TYA).

NENC Trusts participating: STH, NUTH

Study Website link:

Aims to to study the DNA of infertile men and compare it to the DNA of their parents.

NENC Trusts participating: NUTH

Study Website link:

Testing treatments for people admitted to hospital with COVID-19 pneumonia. Since then it has identified four life-saving treatments for COVID-19, and shown that several other commonly used treatments were not effective.

NENC Trusts participating:

Study Website link: How RECOVERY enabled participation of pregnant women in the search for COVID-19 treatments — RECOVERY Trial

 

The SNAP 3 study provides NHS stop smoking support, including Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), such as nicotine patches, used in new and effective ways.

NENC Trusts participating: NCIC, NTH

Study Website link: SNAP3 Study – The University of Nottingham

At the end of labour, a ‘back to back’ or ‘malposition’ of the baby can result in more difficult birth, higher chance of tears, and need for a caesarean section. In this situation the doctors will help turn the baby so their head is in the best position for birth.

We are investigating how best to get babies into a good position for a vaginal birth, using either: manual rotation (by hand) or rotation with instrument (forceps or suction cup).

NENC Trusts participating: NTH, STH, STS

Study Website link: ROTATE – University of Birmingham

 

Aims: to collect clinical information (age at onset, bleeding symptoms, treatments given and responses), standard lab tests, and investigational assays.

NENC Trusts participating:

Study Website link:

A cervical cerclage is the placement of a stitch to keep the neck of the womb closed. A stitch can be placed in a planned way because of a risk of preterm birth based on a woman’s pregnancy history or because the neck of the womb is shorter than normal on an ultrasound scan but still closed. Sometimes the neck of the womb can start to open and expose the bag of water around the baby. If this happens between 16 and 28 weeks of pregnancy, an emergency stitch is sometimes inserted to try to delay delivery. Prolonging the pregnancy so that the baby can be born when they are bigger and stronger may give them a better chance of surviving and suffering from fewer complications of prematurity. However, doctors do not know if an emergency cerclage works. There is some evidence it may prolong pregnancy but it is possible that it will also speed up delivery by causing infection or damage to the neck of the mother’s womb

This study will ask women who have an open neck of the womb with the bag of waters around the baby coming through, to have either an emergency stitch or no emergency stitch. Which treatment they will receive will be decided by a process that randomly allocates a woman to one group or the other.

NENC Trusts participating: STH, STS, NUTH                                                                   Study Website link: C-Stich2 – University of Birmingham

Currently, doctors don’t have good information to help them decide about the best time to deliver a baby between 32 and 36 weeks of pregnancy. At the moment many different approaches are being used. This study aims to find answers about the safest time to deliver the baby.

NENC Trusts participating: STH, NUTH

Study Website link:

Rainbow Clinics provide specialist maternity care for women and birthing people who are pregnant again following a previous stillbirth or neonatal death. We want to know more about the impact of these clinics and see if we can find ways to improve care further.

 

This trial aims to find out if medicines called antenatal corticosteroids (ACS) given to women with a twin pregnancy prior to a planned birth of twins after 35 weeks of pregnancy reduces breathing difficulties in the twin babies.

NENC Trusts participating:

Study Website link:  Home – STOPPIT-3 (stoppitstudy.co.uk)

The DOLFIN trial is looking to understand whether adding a daily nutrient supplement to the milk or food of babies born very early or who suffer poor blood supply or lack of oxygen to the brain before or around birth can help improve child neurological development.

NENC Trusts participating: NHC NTH STH NUTH STS NCIC CDD

Study Website link: https://www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/dolfin