Recipient organisationNIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre
NIHR supportRecorded as supported by this research centre
PeriodMar 2025 — Jul 2027
In plain English
AI plain-English summary
Every year in the UK, thousands of babies are born with cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, but doctors cannot tell which ones will develop lasting brain damage, hearing loss, or learning difficulties until it is too late to treat them. This matters because CMV is the leading cause of neurodevelopmental impairment from infection in pregnancy, yet there is no national screening programme. Many infected infants show no symptoms at birth, and those who do often have vague signs that are missed. Without early antiviral treatment, hundreds of children each year go on to develop permanent problems that could have been prevented. If this research succeeds, it could provide a simple blood test that identifies which CMV-infected newborns are at high risk of poor outcomes. That would make a two-stage national screening programme possible: first, detect the infection; second, decide who needs treatment. The study also examines whether clinical psychology support can improve life for affected children and families. The result would be a shift from reactive, late diagnosis to early, targeted intervention—changing how the NHS manages a common but potentially devastating infection.
View original technical description
Cytomegalovirus (CMV), the international leading cause of neurodevelopmental impairment from infection acquired during pregnancy, is estimated to affect over 4200 babies and cost over £750 million each year in the UK. CMV is a common virus usually causing mild infection in healthy individuals, however CMV can cause serious disease if it affects a baby during pregnancy. Only the most severely affected cases of CMV acquired in pregnancy tend to be identified by healthcare professionals because there is currently no screening for this condition. Approximately 300 CMV-infected infants may be missed or diagnosed late due to non-specific signs and symptoms; and an estimated 500 infants do not initially have symptoms but develop poor outcomes including hearing impairment, behavioural problems, social, communication and learning difficulties. These children therefore do not receive timely antiviral treatment that could prevent these outcomes. Many healthcare professionals and activists advocate screening, however approximately 70% of CMV-infected infants do not have any short or long-term effects, which is why newborn screening for CMV is currently not done. Our research aims to further the understanding of why some infants are more severely affected by CMV than others, and to identify markers in the blood of CMV infection that will help predict which infants will have poor neurodevelopmental outcomes, and therefore who will most likely benefit from early antiviral treatment. This information could endorse a national newborn screening programme in a two-stage approach: initially identification of CMV-infection, and secondly identification of who would benefit from treatment. A critical component of early treatment is the development of tools and strategies to diagnose CMV-infection and this study will contribute to the development of two investigations to assist early diagnosis. This study will also examine whether interventional clinical psychology can support and improve the lives of children and their families affected by CMV.
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