Congenital heart disease affects around one in every 145 babies born in the UK.

In a proportion of these babies, the problems are caused by an abnormality in their genetic make-up. We’re funding a project that is using new technology to analyse the genes of unborn babies with these congenital heart conditions.

What we’re doing

A new sensitive technology, known as microarray, can detect much smaller anomalies than traditional techniques in the genetic make-up of unborn babies.

The team will be testing whether microarray technology, improves the detection rate of heart defects as opposed to other current methods, as well as assessing its cost-effectiveness.  

The potential impact

If successful, Sparks researchers hope to be able to implement a care pathway to use the new technology within the NHS.

Ultimately we hope that this research will lead to better information for parents about the outlook for their baby, helping them prepare better for when the baby is born.  It will also help doctors to manage the care of the baby after birth and allow appropriate treatment.

Location

University of Birmingham

Cost

£200,000 over 36 months

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