Research and Treatment Milestones

Since the 1970s, the March of Dimes has provided research funding for treating the complications of prematurity. By the late 1990s the March of Dimes expanded its research into finding the causes of premature birth and plans to continue until we find the answers. Research is the key to preventing premature birth and the serious complications that result from it.

Highlights of March of Dimes research in neonatology and premature birth:

1970s—Indomethacin Therapy. March of Dimes grantees Abraham M. Rudolph and Michael A. Heyman at the University of California at San Francisco discovered that administering the drug indomethacin could be used to correct patent ductus arteriosus, a heart condition common in premature infants. This discovery has saved many babies the risks and pain of heart surgery.

1980s—Prevention of Newborn Jaundice. Basic research by March of Dimes grantees Attallah Kapas, MD, and George Drummond, PhD, led to the development of a drug to help prevent newborn jaundice. If left untreated, newborn jaundice can damage the brain and central nervous system.

1980s and 1990s—Surfactant Therapy. The March of Dimes has a long history of funding research on newborn lung development and has invested over  $12.5 million in researchers studying this important issue. One of the most important breakthroughs in this field was the work of T. Allen Merritt, MD, at the University of California San Diego Medical Center. His research showing the effectiveness of surfactant therapy for premature babies with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) helped convince the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve surfactant therapy to prevent and treat RDS. Surfactant is a detergent-like substance produced in the lungs that aids in breathing. Since surfactant therapy became widespread, infant deaths due to RDS have dropped by over two-thirds. The March of Dimes continues to support research to develop new and more effective surfactant therapies. 

1990s—Nitric Oxide Therapy. March of Dimes grantees John P. Kinsella, MD, and Steven Abman, MD, of Children's Hospital at the University of Colorado studied the role of nitric oxide in the regulation of blood flow to the lungs. Their work led to the approval of nitric oxide to treat newborns with persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN), life-threatening high blood pressure in the baby's lungs that often interferes with breathing.

1990s—Fish Oil Therapy to Prevent Preterm Delivery. March of Dimes grantee Dr. Sjudur F. Olsen of the Danish Epidemiology Science Center of Copenhagen, Denmark, analyzed the results of six research studies and found that fish oil capsules may help prevent preterm delivery. Since 1996 the March of Dimes has invested over $300,000 to support this and related research.

1998—Perinatal Epidemiological Research Initiative (PERI). A multi-year, $7 million investment to support the investigation of social and biological conditions associated with preterm labor and birth. PERI has produced new understanding related to the development of preterm labor as well as important genetic, nutritional, stress, psychosocial and clinical factors.

2000s—Therapy for Anemia of Prematurity. March of Dimes grantee John A. Widness at the University of Iowa is studying intravenous iron therapy that could be used in conjunction with other treatment options to treat anemia in premature babies. This would reduce the need for babies to receive blood transfusions.

2004—A New Research Initiative. The March of Dimes launched the Prematurity Research Initiative (PRI). Its purpose is to provide new insights into the large proportion of preterm deliveries in which the cause, and thus the means of prevention, remain elusive. The program will give special emphasis to the role of genetics in prematurity.

2006—IOM Report on Preterm Birth. The Institute of Medicine produced a comprehensive report on the causes, consequences and prevention of preterm birth. 

The Preterm Birth Collaborative (PREBIC) supports and enhances international networking among researchers in preterm birth and the establishment of multinational research projects on preterm birth. The March of Dimes is a member of PREBIC.