Brain injury risk in preterm babies with heart disease and how surgery choices affect their brains
Official title: Brain Injury and Dysmaturation in Newborns with Congenital Heart Disease Born Preterm
Funded at University of California, San Francisco · NIH-11520488 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project follows newborns with congenital heart disease born early to understand how their brains are affected and how different surgical approaches might influence outcomes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project start | March 1, 2023 |
| Project end | February 28, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $222,739 |
| NIH project number | 3R01HL165400-04S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11520488 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are newborns with congenital heart disease who are born preterm and are undergoing surgical planning.
✕Less likely to help
Newborns without CHD or full-term births, or those not undergoing the relevant surgical pathways, may not benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers at two centers will study preterm babies with congenital heart disease to see how brain injury and brain development are affected by whether initial heart surgery is palliative or definitive. They will examine imaging and genetic data to identify risk factors and how genetic differences may change susceptibility. The goal is to find ways to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes for these vulnerable infants.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to smarter surgical decisions and better brain development for preterm babies with CHD.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies have linked prematurity and CHD to brain injury, but this project seeks to clarify how surgical timing and genetic factors interact.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mcquillen, Patrick Sean — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Mcquillen, Patrick Sean
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Brain injury risks in preterm newborns with congenital heart disease
This grant studies how being born preterm with congenital heart disease affects brain development and injury, to help improve outcomes for affected babies.
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Investigating brain injury in preterm newborns with congenital heart disease
This study is looking at how different heart surgeries for newborns with congenital heart disease might affect their brain development and risk of injury, especially for those born early, and it also checks if genetics play a role in their outcomes, all to help these little ones have better futures.
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Newborn brain injury risk during birth transition in babies with congenital heart defects
This project will look at how circulation changes around birth affect newborn brain health in babies with transposition of the great arteries.
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Protecting newborn brains in babies born with transposition of the great arteries
Doctors will follow babies with transposition of the great arteries from pregnancy through birth to find early signs and ways to protect their brains during the newborn transition.
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Investigating brain injury risks in newborns with congenital heart disease.
This study is looking at how changes in blood flow and heart function when babies are born can impact brain health in newborns with a heart condition called transposition of the great arteries, and it aims to find ways to protect their brains and improve their care.
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Multimodal AI to improve genetic diagnosis of congenital heart disease
A new AI tool uses multiple types of patient data to help doctors find genetic causes of congenital heart disease more accurately.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.