Vanderbilt University Medical Center has been awarded a $3.3 million grant over the next two years from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) as part of its Sprint for Women’s Health initiative. This funding will support early-stage research aimed at developing medications to suppress premature uterine contractions during pregnancy.
ARPA-H’s Sprint for Women’s Health program focuses on addressing significant unmet challenges in women’s health, promoting transformative innovations, and tackling conditions that disproportionately affect women.
The research team, led by Jennifer Herington, PhD, an assistant professor of Pediatrics and Pharmacology, and Todd Giorgio, PhD, a professor of Biomedical Engineering, has been collaborating for four years to create innovative uterine-targeted delivery systems for tocolytics—medications designed to inhibit premature contractions.
“Preterm birth is the leading cause of neonatal and child deaths under the age of five, and those who survive may face lifelong health challenges,” Herington stated. Each year, approximately 15 million pregnancies worldwide end prematurely, defined as occurring before 37 weeks of gestation. The United States has one of the highest rates of preterm births among developed countries, with one in ten women delivering prematurely. The estimated economic burden of preterm birth in the U.S. is around $25 billion, encompassing medical expenses, educational costs, and lost productivity.
Currently, the standard care for tocolytic agents is limited to a duration of 24 to 72 hours due to potential side effects for both mother and fetus. However, many women could benefit from extended tocolysis to prolong their pregnancies, allowing for critical development of vital organs, including the brain, lungs, and liver.
Herington emphasized that their approach targets medication delivery directly to the uterus, aiming to enhance both maternal and fetal safety and facilitate the long-term use of existing tocolytics. “We are dedicated to developing novel uterine-targeted tocolytic delivery systems that can be used at home,” Giorgio noted. This method is particularly advantageous for low-resource settings, enabling patients to manage preterm labor without the need for frequent healthcare facility visits.
The research team has partnered with DavosPharma to create drug conjugates that will serve as a uterine-targeted tocolytic delivery system. Kemp Proteins, DavosPharma’s strategic partner, will provide essential biological components for the therapeutic development. This innovative approach, typically used to deliver cytotoxic agents directly to tumors, aims to reduce side effects and improve treatment efficacy compared to traditional chemotherapy. Herington and Giorgio’s project will be the first to apply drug conjugates in obstetrics.
“I am proud of the work that Drs. Herington and Giorgio are doing to address the critical needs in the prevention of preterm birth,” said J. Newton, MD, PhD, FACOG, vice chair of Clinical Obstetrics and a collaborator on the project. “These are highly innovative and extremely talented scientists who are essential in developing new treatments for preterm labor.”
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