Can we Predict Preterm Births with a Swab?

In 10 seconds? A novel and simple test could predict preterm births with high accuracy through the combination of molecular biology and machine learning models. This is good news and could help lower the risk of death among prematurely born children under the age of 5.

What’s the scope of the problem? A preterm birth is when a baby is born before 37 weeks of gestation. According to the WHO, such complications are the leading cause of death for kids younger than 5 years and up to 75% of these deaths are preventable. Around 15 million births are preterm around the world. In the US, 1 in 10 babies was born preterm in 2021.