Determining Gestational Age Using Genome Methylation Profile

Yuval Gielchinsky of Hadassah Medical Center in Israel will develop a non-invasive approach for determining gestational age by analyzing DNA methylation profiles in cells from umbilical cord blood. Accurate gestational age is critical for monitoring and promoting the healthy development of newborns. Current gestational age dating approaches require expensive equipment and trained users, or are relatively inaccurate. Previous work has linked gestational age with epigenetic states such as the patterns of methylation along DNA. They will use two different approaches to measure DNA methylation in 40 newborns, and test which one can most accurately determine gestational age.