Developing new anti-cytokine therapies for preventing perinatal brain injury

Inflammation-induced brain injury remains one of the main causes of lifelong disability after birth. There is no effective treatment. Elevated levels of inflammatory proteins (cytokines) are strongly associated with brain inflammation and impaired neurodevelopment in the womb and after preterm birth. Developing therapeutic interventions to target these proteins could provide a new approach for reducing the incidence and severity of disability after preterm birth. This project aims to improve our understanding of how cytokines disturb healthy brain development and develop new anti-cytokine therapies for inflammation-induced brain injury. Research techniques: Fetal surgery, electronic fetal monitoring of brain activity, movement, breathing and cardiovascular function. Neuropathological assessment using immunohistochemistry and molecular biology.