Daijiworld Media Network - Canberra

Canberra, Dec 22: Researchers in Australia have identified a biological mechanism that may explain certain cases of stillbirth, potentially opening doors for early detection and prevention.

The study, conducted by Flinders University, found that the placenta—essential for nourishing the developing baby—can age prematurely during pregnancy, reducing its ability to support fetal growth and increasing stillbirth risk. The researchers discovered that molecules called circular RNAs, which normally accumulate in ageing tissues, build up in the placenta much earlier than expected in affected pregnancies. This accumulation causes cellular damage, breaks, and accelerated ageing of the placenta.

Lead author Anya Arthurs from the Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute explained that in stillbirth cases, placentas appeared biologically older than their gestational age, with damaged DNA and deteriorated cell structures. Experiments showed that reducing specific circular RNAs in placental cells slowed damage and delayed ageing, indicating that these molecules actively drive the process rather than merely being bystanders.
Importantly, some of these circular RNAs can be detected in maternal blood as early as 15–16 weeks of pregnancy, raising the possibility of an early screening test for at-risk pregnancies.

Stillbirth affects around two million pregnancies globally each year, and prevention has been challenging because molecular placental ageing is not visible under a microscope. The researchers hope their findings will not only lead to new screening tools but also provide broader insights into ageing processes relevant to conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.