Impact Report: Preventing Rhesus (Rh) Disease in Newborns
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Date
2019
Authors
Zawaly, Kathleen
Hooper, Kristen
Sommersell, Necole
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Research Manitoba
Abstract
The cure to Rh disease, once considered very deadly, was discovered due to the combined efforts by researchers from the UK, Germany, the USA, and Canada. The pioneering activities and innovations spearheaded by Dr. Bruce Chown and Professor Marion Lewis and later refined by Drs. Jack Bowman, Reinhart Friesen, and Alvin Zipursky from Winnipeg contributed to the continuous decline in the prevalence and incidence of Rh disease in the 1950s and 1960s, and helped accelerate the development of an Rh immune globulin, WINRHO, which has reduced the risk of death in sensitized pregnancies to nearly zero. Manitoba pioneered the application of antenatal dosing to Rh-negative. Today, almost all Rh-negative mothers are screened in their perinatal stage and are treated with the Immune globulin as a part of standard of care. Research and development on the Immune globulin have further evolved to other pharmaceuticals. Another legacy of the pioneering work of clinician-researchers in Winnipeg from the 1940s to the 1970s still evident today was the development of research capacity in Manitoba. Specifically, there is now the ability to conduct biomedical research primarily on immunoglobulins and the establishment of the research infrastructure necessary to bring research discoveries to commercial applications. Leading the country in the production and application of the Immune globulin, WINRHO has helped generate health and economic impacts across Manitoba and Canada.
Description
Keywords
Rhesus Disease, Research in Manitoba, Dr. Bruce Chown, Dr. Jack Bowman, History of WINRHO
Citation
Zawaly, Kathleen, et al. "Impact Report: Preventing Rhesus (Rh) Disease in Newborns". Research Manitoba (2019).https://researchmanitoba.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/RPT_Rh_disease_impact_report_FNL_web_31May19.pdf