The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine’s Department of Maternal Fetal Medicine has enrolled the first patient in the world in a groundbreaking international Azalea Trial. The Department of Maternal Fetal Medicine, in collaboration with the UNC Fetal Care Center, is conducting a trial for a novel treatment to prevent and reduce the severity of fetal hemolytic disease in pregnancies with Rh disease. The study is sponsored by Janssen Research and Development and Johnson and Johnson Innovative Medicine.
Among pregnant persons who are affected with red cell antibodies, their fetus and newborn are at risk for in utero severe anemia that can be life threatening and currently is treated by intrauterine transfusions. “With each affected pregnancy, the severity of the fetal effects can worsen and occur at earlier gestational ages, making the treatment more complicated as well,” described by Dr William Goodnight, Medical Director of UNCH Fetal Care Center and UNC Site PI for the Azalea Trial. Therefore, innovative treatments to prevent fetal anemia in these at-risk pregnancies would be practice-changing. For more information on the study visit Maternal Fetal Medicine: Azalea Trial.
The Department of Maternal Fetal Medicine would be grateful to partner with any high risk patients who are at risk for HDNF and provide them the opportunity to participate in this innovative treatment. If you are interested, please feel free to reach out the UNC Fetal Care Center team for patient referral or for more information.
UNC Fetal Care Center
William Goodnight, MD MSCR, Medical Director, Site PI for Azalea
Sacha Bryan, RN, Fetal Therapy Nurse
919-974-9016 phone
919-974-9023 fax
For a complete list of providers and counselors, visit our Maternal Fetal Medicine team page.