Max has never considered himself much of a runner, but together with his tutor Stephen Myott-Meadows, he is participating in the 10km Winter Run to help raise funds for research into the causes and prevention of premature labour.

Max was not born prematurely, but he is aware that it is the world's largest cause of death for children under the age of 5 years and of those who survive, a significant proportion have long term disabilities.

His father and colleague’s research team at Imperial College have made many discoveries in understanding the different causes of premature delivery, helping to reduce its occurrence. Max would like to raise funds to help them continue these vital aspects of research and lower the number of babies born too soon.

The charity Prematurity Research @ Imperial aims to raise £2.5 million to create and sustain a professorial chair at Imperial College.  This will help in the succession planning for the team of highly motivated researchers in the prevention of preterm birth.

Access to high quality antenatal care is one important factor in maximising the chance of full term delivery, but preterm delivery may affect even the healthiest of mothers receiving optimum care. So, understanding the factors that ultimately lead to prematurity, which are likely to be diverse and varied, would benefit families of all backgrounds.

The team is lead by Professor Phil Bennet and Professor TG Teoh.  Their research findings are developing into effective screening programmes, diagnostic tools and treatments.

So please, sponsor Max's run and support this important work!  Or if you would like to discuss the aims of Prematurity Research @ Imperial and ways in which you might be able to help, please email TG at t.teoh@imperial.ac.uk or the Director of Development at Imperial College, Ms Angela Bowen (angela.bowen@imperial.ac.uk) who can also discuss various charitable options both in the UK and abroad.

Thanks for taking the time to visit Max's JustGiving page.

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