Posted on 9/18/2020
Premature birth remains a huge clinical challenge, often resulting in lifelong consequences for both children and mothers. Even in developed nations, preterm birth is the most common cause of mortality for children under five years of age. In many cases, spontaneous onset of labor occurs and it is challenging to prevent this using current methods such as medications, surgery, or hormones.
A company called PregnanTech out of Misgav, Israel has now designed an implantable device that reduces the load on the cervix, keeps the cervix elongated despite contractions, and thereby delays the biomechanical cascade and prevents the breakup of the collagen network that leads to spontaneous birth. The LIONESS, as it’s called, is currently being tested in a clinical s...