Active Lung Disease In Survivors Of Preterm Birth? Can We Treat It?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$612,862.00
Summary
More than 15 million babies are born preterm each year. Those that survive face a lifetime of ongoing breathing problems and lung function that worsens through childhood. Our study will work out how inflammation in the lungs contributes to these ongoing breathing problems during childhood. We will also look at how the exhaled breath of preterm children is different to term children and test how treatment with an inhaled anti-inflammatory medicine changes the lung disease in preterm children.
Understanding And Improving Treatment Of Premature Infants To Improve Long Term Outcomes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$638,517.00
Summary
The last 2 decades heralded many important advances in the care of preterm infants but important gaps in our knowledge remain. Studies undertaken in the preclinical and clinical settings during this Fellowship will enhance understanding of the complex nature of disease in preterm infants. Further, we will develop and evaluate new treatments that enhance growth and development of the premature baby to optimise their long term intellectual, physical, emotional and social outcomes.
Predicting The Long Term Lung Health Outcomes In Young Adults Born Very Preterm
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$854,201.00
Summary
Preterm birth and its resulting lung problems can lead to breathing problems during childhood and into adult life. There are very few lung health studies that have tracked preterm individuals from childhood and into early adult life. This study will conduct a detailed lung health assessment in a follow-up of a group of preterm individuals at 19 years of age. We aim to identify if information we obtained in the group at 6 and 11 years can predict how the lungs look and behave at 19 years of age.
Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia – A Regenerative Medicine Approach
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$480,406.00
Summary
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia is a major leading cause of morbidity and mortality in premature babies. There is no cure. We have previously shown that amnion epithelial cells can reduce the extent of lung damage during early stages of lung development. We aim to understand how amnion cells can promote repair by interacting with existing cell types in order to restore normal lung structure and function. The outcomes from this study will help design clinical trials and develop new therapies.
Cell Therapy For Prevention Of Perinatal Inflammation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$539,337.00
Summary
Exposure of babies to infection or inflammation before birth is common and is associated with preterm delivery and illness in newborns. The biggest problem for these babies is lung disease due to inflammation of the lungs before birth and/or in response to lung injury after birth. There is no treatment for the underlying inflammation and no way to prevent or treat the lung disease that it causes. This project will investigate a new stem-cell based treatment for lung inflammation that may prevent ....Exposure of babies to infection or inflammation before birth is common and is associated with preterm delivery and illness in newborns. The biggest problem for these babies is lung disease due to inflammation of the lungs before birth and/or in response to lung injury after birth. There is no treatment for the underlying inflammation and no way to prevent or treat the lung disease that it causes. This project will investigate a new stem-cell based treatment for lung inflammation that may prevent life-threatening lung disease in preterm babies.Read moreRead less
Amniotic Exosomes - Nanomedicine For Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$647,058.00
Summary
Extremely premature babies are at serious risk of developing a life threatening chronic lung disease known as bronchopulmonary dysplasia. This is expensive to treat and even babies who survive often end up with lifelong complications. Our team believes that nanoparticles released by placental stem cells have the ability to reverse the disease and that this can be administered without complex medical tools so that parents can administer it themselves after discharge.
Human Amnion Epithelial Cell Therapy For Bronchopulmonary Dyspliasa
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,048,035.00
Summary
Preterm infants, especially those born very early, commonly develop a type of chronic lung disease called bronchopulmonary displasia (BPD). There is currently no cure or means of preventing BPD. Cells from the amniotic membrane that surrounds the developing baby before birth show promise as a treatment, or perhaps even a way of preventing, BPD. This project will use a preterm lamb model of BPD to assess the ability of amnion cells to treat or prevent the disease.
Investigation Of The Influence Preterm Birth On Lung Structure And Function In School Age Children.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$204,482.00
Summary
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) remains the most significant chronic lung complication of premature birth. While some information on the long term respiratory outcomes in BPD exist there are no comprehensive studies linking lung structure, function and respiratory symptoms and relating these changes to neonatal history. Studies of this kind are essential to ensure future healthcare for these children can be planned accordingly.
The Identification Of Thoracic Targets For Prevention And Intervention In Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$316,449.00
Summary
The persistence of breathing problems from infancy to later life is a complication of premature birth with lifelong consequences. Breathing problems often occur together with lung disease, but prematurity can also affect heart and blood vessel development, and weakness of the main breathing muscle. We will find out how much the heart, lungs and diaphragm contribute to breathing problems in babies; helping us to better predict, diagnose and treat severe breathing problems in babies born preterm.
Premature babies often need assistance to breathe but this can injure the lung and lead to abnormal lung development and long-term lung disease. We have recently identified 3 factors that we believe are fundamental to initiating this abnormal lung development. We will demonstrate that these 3 factors mediate abnormal lung development following lung injury at birth. This information can then be used to reduce the incidence and severity of chronic lung disease of the newborn.