In breakthrough research in Australia, a biomarker has been identified that can detect babies at increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) while they are alive. SIDS is the unexplained death of an otherwise healthy infant less than one year of age, during a period of sleep. 

A team of researchers at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead identified butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) as the biochemical marker that can help in preventing death in infants. The study published in the Lancet eBioMedicine reported that BChElevels were significantly lower in babies who eventually died of SIDS compared to living controls and other infant deaths. It plays an important role in the brain’s arousal pathway. The researchers are of the view that its deficiency probably indicates an arousal deficit, which reduces an infant’s ability to wake or respond to the external environment, causing susceptibility to SIDS. The research reveals that some babies don’t have a robust arousal response when confronted with a life-threatening situation such as difficulty breathing during sleep.