A METHOD OF IDENTIFYING A NEONATE AT RISK OF HAVING OR DEVELOPING HYPOXIC-ISCHAEMIC ENCEPHALOPATHY (HIE)

A method for screening a distressed neonate for risk of having or developing HIE comprises the steps of assaying a biological sample obtained from the distressed neonate, the mother of the neonate, or from the umbilical cord or placenta, for an abundance of miR-374a in the sample, and comparing the abundance of miR-374a in the sample with a reference abundance of miR-374a, wherein a reduced abundance of miR-374a in the sample compared with the reference abundance of miR-374a is indicative of the distressed neonate being at risk of having or developing HIE. Risk of severe HIE can be determined by assaying a biological sample from the distressed neonate identified as being at risk of HIE for an abundance of a plurality of metabolites including succinate, glycerol, acetone and 3-hydroxybutyrate, providing the sum of glycerol and succinate abundance and the sum of acetone and 3-hydroxybutyrate; and correlating the sums with risk of severe HIE.