Lay summary
Preterm birth is the leading cause of death in tamariki under five, and survivors often face lifelong health challenges. Reducing its impact is complex. Care for māmā should prevent preterm birth or prepare for optimal birth; for preterm pēpi, it must improve outcomes. While many important research questions remain, we lack a sustainable, high-quality pipeline for clinical trials.
Adaptive platform trials offer a transformative solution. This innovative design allows multiple research questions to be tested within a single, ongoing structure, improving efficiency, reducing costs, and accelerating translation into practice.
Aotearoa New Zealand researchers, in collaboration with Australian partners, are leading the development of the first-ever perinatal adaptive trial platform - PLATIPUS (Platform for Adaptive Trials in Perinatal Units). This application supports PLATIPUS in Aotearoa New Zealand, and its first pregnancy trial, PROMOAT, which will identify the best antibiotic treatment for māmā/people with preterm rupture of membranes, to improve lifelong outcomes for pēpi.