Understanding The Impact Of Preterm Birth On Development: Improving Outcomes For Preterm Infants.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$823,008.00
Summary
Approximately 10% of babies are born prematurely and many suffer long-term health problems. Our aim is to understand how premature birth affects the development of the cardiovascular, respiratory and central nervous systems. This understanding will help to improve the long-term health outcomes for premature infants. By working with medical practitioners treating premature babies we are well placed to translate our findings on preventing and treating developmental injury into clinical practice.
Carbon Dioxide As A Treatment For Seizures In The Newborn
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$878,389.00
Summary
This study aims to introduce a simple and effective treatment to prevent brain damage from seizures in babies using CO2. Neonatal seizures remain a major clinical problem worldwide and are associated with poor brain outcomes and significant risk of death. Recent trials in human adult epileptics show rapid and effective seizure suppression following the use of CO2. This therapy will significantly impact long-term outcomes for affected babies and reduce the burden of care for families and society.
Creatine, A Multi-organ Protectant Against Hypoxic Injury In The Neonate
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$524,802.00
Summary
The WHO estimates that up to 9 million babies suffer birth hypoxia each year, leading to 29% of global neonatal deaths, and significant rates of severe disability. We hypothesise that creatine, given as a supplement to the mothers diet during pregnancy, will protect her babies organs should low oxygen around the time of birth occur. The low cost of creatine is particularly relevant for rural and remote communities and the developing world where, currently, there are no effective therapies.
PROTECTING THE PRETERM FETAL BRAIN FROM HYPOXIA AND INFECTION: A HEALTHY START TO LIFE.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$495,750.00
Summary
Brain damage during fetal life is a significant cause of later neurological problems such as cerebral palsy. Recent studies have shown that brain injury detected in infants is usually caused by adverse conditions within the uterus prior to labour, but the exact causes are poorly understood. It is also apparent that babies born prematurely are at increased risk of suffering serious brain damage. In recent years it has become evident that infections in the mother may be linked to both premature bi ....Brain damage during fetal life is a significant cause of later neurological problems such as cerebral palsy. Recent studies have shown that brain injury detected in infants is usually caused by adverse conditions within the uterus prior to labour, but the exact causes are poorly understood. It is also apparent that babies born prematurely are at increased risk of suffering serious brain damage. In recent years it has become evident that infections in the mother may be linked to both premature birth and brain damage. It has been proposed that certain chemicals (cytokines), which are released during an infection, can cross the placenta to the fetus causing inflammatory changes that lead to brain damage. We have shown that an inflammatory inducing chemical (bacterial endotoxin) administered to immature fetal sheep induces brain damage similar to that seen in cerebral palsy. This provides an excellent model for testing agents that are known to block the action of cytokines and other markers of inflammation; currently there is no effective strategy for the treatment or prevention of hypoxia and inflammatory induced injury of the brain partly due to our ignorance about how and when the damage is occurring. We will test the effects of two chemicals; N-acetyl cysteine, which is known to block the generation of inflammatory cytokines, and the naturally occurring glycoprotein erythropoietin, which prevents death of neurons (apoptosis). We hope that by blocking these pathways we may be able to prevent brain injury from occurring when the immature fetus is exposed to an infection during gestation. We expect that this project will provide important novel information that helps us to understand how infection in the mother can cause brain injury in the fetus and provide a new approach for strategies to prevent or treat brain injury.Read moreRead less
Injury to the developing brain, whether sustained during pregnancy or at birth, is the underlying cause of many cognitive and motor disabilities, including cerebral palsy. This project will identify the cellular pathways that cause developmental brain injury in preterm and term infants, and then administer umbilical cord blood stem cells at different timepoints to assess their efficacy at reducing brain injury. This project will inform treatment with cord blood stem cells in high risk infants.
Does Caffeine Affect The Development Of The Very Immature Brain: Dose Response Relationship?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$668,386.00
Summary
Premature birth is a major health problem worldwide. Preterm babies often develop apnoea of prematurity (AOP), which is commonly treated with caffeine. Trials indicate that preterm babies treated with low dose caffeine have less neurodevelopmental disabilities at 18 months. Higher doses of caffeine are often needed to reduce AOP but the risk of this is unknown. We will study the short and long-term effects of increasing doses of caffeine on the developing brain in a long-gestation species.
DEVELOPMENT OF FOLDING IN THE FETAL CEREBRAL CORTEX – IDENTIFYING FUNDAMENTAL MECHANISMS AND THEIR SUSCEPTIBILITY TO DISRUPTION IN NORMAL AND ABNORMAL PREGNANCY
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$607,742.00
Summary
During pregnancy, the surface of the fetal brain gradually develops the ridges, valleys, and folds that are the characteristic feature of our highly developed brain. However, this process can be disturbed if birth occurs prematurely, the unborn baby suffers oxygen starvation in the uterus, or the mother consumes alcohol. In this project we are determining how cell migration results in the development of brain surface folding, and how hypoxia and maternal alcohol consumption affect these importan ....During pregnancy, the surface of the fetal brain gradually develops the ridges, valleys, and folds that are the characteristic feature of our highly developed brain. However, this process can be disturbed if birth occurs prematurely, the unborn baby suffers oxygen starvation in the uterus, or the mother consumes alcohol. In this project we are determining how cell migration results in the development of brain surface folding, and how hypoxia and maternal alcohol consumption affect these important processes.Read moreRead less
Treatment Of Cerebral Palsy - An Experimental Approach
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$589,544.00
Summary
Cerebral palsy is characterised by disordered movement evident early in life leading to lifelong disability. The motor disorder arises from an abnormality within the white-matter of the brain that is non-progressive and is identifiable soon after birth. In humans and experimental models of fetal infection there is an increase in markers of inflammation. We will use induce ovine fetal infection and white matter injury to examine if anti-inflammatory treatments can prevent fetal brain damage.
Contribution Of Disturbed Blood Flow And Cerebral Metabolism To White Matter Damage In The Perinatal Brain
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$369,375.00
Summary
It has been known for some time that the white matter regions of the developing brain are particularly vulnerable to damage. These regions are deep in the brain near the ventricles, and are rich in myelin sheaths wrapped around the nerve fibres running from cell-rich areas in the outer layers of the brain to other regions, and down into the spinal cord. Damage to white matter usually leads to behavioural, learning and motor problems in the newborn infant - in its severest form, seen as cerebral ....It has been known for some time that the white matter regions of the developing brain are particularly vulnerable to damage. These regions are deep in the brain near the ventricles, and are rich in myelin sheaths wrapped around the nerve fibres running from cell-rich areas in the outer layers of the brain to other regions, and down into the spinal cord. Damage to white matter usually leads to behavioural, learning and motor problems in the newborn infant - in its severest form, seen as cerebral palsy. Such outcomes are often associated with the presence of asphyxia and infection during pregnancy, leading to the belief that the damage first arises while the baby is still in utero. In this application we suggest that asphyxia and-or infection during pregnancy cause prolonged disturbances in the regulation of blood flow and integrity of the blood-brain barrier in the developing brain, together with changes in metabolism that result in accumulation of prostaglandins and the toxic hydroxyl radical, leading irreversibly to cell death. If this series of events proves to be true, we have suggested and will test several protocols for protecting the fetal brain, which should be readily translatable to clinical practice.Read moreRead less
My research is primarily aimed at understanding the physiology and pathophysiology of lung development; in particular, how lung development is affected by the fetal and neonatal environment such that adult lung function and respiratory health are impaired. In addition to the lung my research examines the effects of the prenatal environment on development of the brain and cardiovascular system.