Stimulating breathing at birth in preterm newborns

Every day, >2450 preterm infants die, the majority due to the inability to breathe independently at birth. Consequently, these infants require respiratory support at birth, which increases the risk and severity of brain inflammation and injury, leading to adverse long-term neurological outcomes, including Cerebral Palsy. Our groundbreaking research has identified that respiratory centres within the brainstem, which controls and regulates breathing, are inhibited by exposure to inflammation around the time of birth, particularly pro-inflammatory cytokines and prostaglandin E2. This, for the first time, has given us a target to mitigate the influence of inflammation on brainstem respiratory centres, thus improving respiratory and neurological outcomes of preterm newborns. Our research will test a number of clinically relevant inhibitors in preclinical models to determine whether they reduce brainstem inflammation and injury and improve respiratory function, and subsequent neurological outcomes. These studies will allow for a comprehensive development of skills in surgery, physiological monitoring, molecular and histological assessments of inflammation and injury.