MATERNITY research midwives have secured the 1,000th participant in a study screening babies for a rare disorder.

The study at University Hospitals Dorset aims to make it possible to detect spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) shortly after birth and before symptoms develop, so babies can receive treatment at the earliest opportunity.

SMA is a genetic disease that destroys the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control movement.

The condition affects approximately one in 10,000 births.

Children who have the most common and sever type of SMA, 95 per cent of all motor neurons can be lost before the age of six months.

Most children with this type of SMA are unlikely to survive beyond two years of age without permanent ventilator support, if untreated.

However, treatments for SMA have been shown to benefit children who are treated at an early stage.

As part of the study, SMA screening is carried out using the same blood spot sample taken for the standard five-day new-born screening test.

UHD is inviting women who are 16 and over, more than 18 weeks pregnant or have given birth in the last 28 days to be part of the study with their babies.

Kerry Taylor, head of midwifery at UHD, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to be involved in a project which could really change and save lives.

“Research plays a vital role in medical science, and our maternity research team is proud to be involved in a study that strives to provide the very best care for parents and their babies, making a profound difference to families all over the UK.

“As midwives and parents, we normally only see the babies for the first few weeks of their lives. This makes it very special for us to be involved in something that could have a longer-term impact on the baby’s future.”

For more information, visit the UHD website.