Sebum measurement in newborn to detect hyperexposure to androgens
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Sebum measurement in newborn to detect hyper-exposure to androgens in utero; exploring the initial stage of the developmental hypothesis of PCOS.
IRAS ID
246096
Contact name
Roy Homburg
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust R&D
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affecting 10-15% of the female population causes excess hair, acne, irregular/absent ovulation, infertility and is associated with hypertension, diabetes, heart attacks and stroke in later life. The economic care-related burden of the syndrome is estimated at $4.36 billion/year in the USA.
The root cause is unknown and although mostly familial, the offending genes are unknown. We believe that excess testosterone, to which the foetus is exposed during its life in the womb, causes development of PCOS in adult life. If a mother with PCOS exposes her foetus to high testosterone levels compared to one with no PCOS, this would be the first step in proving the developmental hypothesis for PCOS, opening the door to methods to prevent the appearance of the distressing symptoms of PCOS in adult life.
With no access to the foetal environment, we have used the surrogate measure of sebum on the skin of the newborn, 99% influenced by testosterone. Our pilot study (Homburg et al, 2017) used absorbent paper to measure sebum excretion in PCOS and controls within 24 hours and 1-24 weeks after birth in mother and baby. Higher sebum production in female babies of PCOS mothers strongly supported our hypothesis.
The present proposal utilizes a 30-second, non-invasive, quantitative measurement of sebum (Sebumeter®) in the newborn from PCOS mothers and controls, within 24 hours of birth. We will correlate results with other features in both female and male newborn that may suggest hyper-exposure to testosterone and with maternal testosterone levels in the blood.
If confirming the findings of our pilot study in line with the developmental theory of PCOS, this could be used within 24 hours of birth to predict development of PCOS in adult life, induce measures to prevent the symptoms of PCOS and reduce the enormous health burden on patients and economies.REC name
East of England - Essex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/EE/0278
Date of REC Opinion
21 Dec 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion