Updated on
What did the project achieve?
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common virus that is usually harmless. However, newborn babies can develop lifelong health problems, including sight or hearing loss, if the virus is passed onto them during pregnancy. Early detection of the infection is important because symptoms often do not appear until months or even years after birth, when treatment is less likely to be effective.
“We’re now a step closer to creating an affordable and practical tool that could be used for routine screening of newborn babies for CMV,” says Professor Vincent Teng of Swansea University. “Identifying babies with this infection soon after birth would enable earlier access to treatment, helping to reduce the long-term impact of this infection on their lives.”
Current tests used to detect CMV are not suitable for large-scale screening as they are expensive, time-consuming and require specialist laboratory equipment. This research aimed to develop a low-cost, easy-to-use, rapid, and highly sensitive diagnostic device that could be used to screen newborn babies for CMV.
“We refined the manufacturing processes to show that these devices could be produced at scale and at relatively low-cost,” says Professor Teng. “We also improved the design to enhance performance and developed a rapid testing method capable of detecting the virus in less than 20 minutes – an important step towards future clinical use.”
The researchers then evaluated how well the device could detect and measure CMV in urine samples collected from newborn babies infected with the virus – showing it had even greater sensitivity than the current gold standard diagnostic method.
“We have successfully advanced the development of a low-cost, highly sensitive and rapid diagnostic device for detecting CMV in newborn babies,” says Professor Teng. “The technology is designed for large-scale screening and is well-suited for use at the point of care, enabling earlier diagnosis and intervention to help improve outcomes for children and their families.”
Based on these promising results, the team is now seeking external funding to develop the prototype into a device capable of detecting the virus in saliva samples and suitable for future clinical trials.
This research was completed on
How are children’s lives affected now?
CMV is a common virus that is usually harmless. But it can sometimes cause lifelong problems for babies whose mothers pass the virus on to them during pregnancy.
“Around two to three babies born every day in the UK will experience serious health problems as a result of CMV infection,"[4] says Professor Teng. “These may include sight or hearing loss or, more rarely, developmental or learning difficulties.”
Most affected babies are born without symptoms and develop problems many months or years later, which is often too late for treatment. Early detection of CMV through a large-scale screening programme would be crucial to identify babies at risk of future problems – enabling prompt access to effective interventions.
“Currently, there is no routine screening for CMV in newborn babies in the UK – partly because of the lack of a suitable diagnostic device,” says Professor Teng. “Sadly, that means many babies are missing the opportunity for early interventions that can help reduce the impact of the infection on their lives.”
How could this research help?
“We’re aiming to develop a low-cost, highly-sensitive device that could be used to screen for CMV in newborn babies,” says Professor Teng.
Existing methods for detecting CMV are unsuitable for large-scale screening as they are costly and time-consuming and can only be performed in a laboratory using specialist equipment. The researchers are planning to create a much simpler test that uses a portable device and can provide rapid results.
“We will initially test our device to find out whether it can accurately detect and measure CMV directly in urine and saliva samples from newborn babies,” says Professor Teng.
The team will then compare the performance of their device against the current gold standard diagnostic test – to demonstrate the feasibility of using it as a screening tool for CMV infection in the future.
This new technology would be ideal for large-scale screening of newborn babies who are at risk of future health problems, enabling early targeted intervention to help improve their outcomes.
Research table
Project details
| Project Leader | Professor Kar Seng (Vincent) Teng, PhD |
| Location | Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Swansea University |
| Project Team | Professor Richard J Stanton, PhD |
| Other Locations | Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University |
| Grant Awarded | |
| Grant Amount | £56,828 |
| Start Date | |
| End Date | |
| Duration | 24 months |
| Grant Code (GN number) | GN2995 |
References
1. Tommy’s. Cytomegalovirus and pregnancy. Available at: www.tommys.org/pregnancy-information/pregnancy-complications/cytomegalovirus-and-pregnancy. Accessed July 2024.
2. Office for National Statistics. Vital statistics in the UK: births, deaths and marriages. Available at Vital statistics in the UK: births, deaths and marriages - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk). Accessed July 2024.
3. National Screening Committee (UK NSC) 2017. Newborn screening for cytomegalovirus External review against programme appraisal criteria for the UK. Available: https://view-health-screening-recommendations.service.gov.uk/document/334/download. Accessed July 2024.
4. CMV Action. What is CMV? Available: What is CMV? - CMV Action. Accessed July 2024.
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