Technological monitoring of therapies used for the prevention and treatment of fetal alcohol syndrome in the pre to the post-natal period

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the scenario of technological innovation and the direction of research involving possible therapies for fetal alcohol syndrome. Methods: This is descriptive research that mapped and evaluated the technologies of articles and patent documents available in scientific and technological databases, published between the years 2000 to 2021. The documents that presented therapeutic measures for fetal alcohol syndrome or fetal alcohol spectrum disorders delivered from the prenatal to the postnatal period were selected. The data obtained were expressed as graphs and tables using Microsoft Excel 365® software. Results: 41 patent documents and 65 articles were extracted. The United States was the country with the most expressive production with 65.3% of the articles and 41.5% of the patents, with research institutes being the main ones responsible for such documents. Murine and zebrafish were the most frequent animal models, with most therapies applied in the prenatal period and aimed at protection against growth abnormalities, to block their development. Conclusion: We conclude that the production of patents is low compared to articles and that a possible cure does not exist yet, and that not consuming alcohol during pregnancy is the best strategy to prevent the disease.