Launch of the ACROBAT-Newborns Project to Reduce Neonatal Mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa

Neonates or newborns (children up to 28 days old) are at greatest risk of dying due to severe infections, such as sepsis. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are between 1.3 and 2.9 million cases of these infections each year, resulting in between 400,000 and 700,000 annual deaths worldwide. This burden is disproportionately higher in low- and middle-income countries. Around 84% of neonatal deaths from infection could be prevented with early detection. However, this is challenging in newborns due to the nonspecific nature of symptoms and the rapid progression of the disease.

ACROBAT-Newborns (Appraising the Critical Role of prognostic Biomarkers in the Assessment and Triage of sick African newborns) is composed of a consortium of 10 partners from Europe, the United Kingdom, and Sub-Saharan Africa. This five-year project, funded by the European Union (EDCTP3) and coordinated by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), aims to evaluate the performance of X-TREM, a rapid prognostic test that measures levels of sTREM-1, a receptor triggered by the presence of severe infections or inflammation. This test will help predict severe illnesses, regardless of their cause, in newborns from four hospitals in Ethiopia, Gabon, Mozambique, and Uganda.

“Early detection of severe illnesses in newborns is a major challenge. At ACROBAT-Newborns, our goal is to overcome the triage barrier to effectively identify those babies at risk of dying,” explains Quique Bassat, director of ISGlobal and principal investigator of the project. “If we succeed in validating our strategy, we could save thousands of lives.”

“Our test will be used at the point of care in resource-limited settings to guide clinical decisions. We will provide a reliable triage tool where it is needed most,” says Bàrbara Baró, lead researcher and project coordinator. “ACROBAT-Newborns is not just a clinical validation study; it brings together a multidisciplinary team of doctors, social scientists, technology innovators, and business experts. We will evaluate the overall impact of the test and advance toward obtaining CE marking, making X-TREM available to everyone,” adds the researcher.

The project officially started in January 2025 and will run until December 2029. During this period, a cohort study focused on innovative solutions for neonatal care will be conducted, providing high-quality evidence to support healthcare professionals’ decision-making.