Heart growth and function over time after being born preterm
Official title: Cardiac Growth and Function Trajectories after Preterm Birth
Funded at Ut Southwestern Medical Center · NIH-11373565 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project follows people born preterm to understand how their hearts grow and work as they age, with the goal of finding ways to prevent heart problems.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Ut Southwestern Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Dallas, United States) |
| Project start | May 1, 2023 |
| Project end | April 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $780,097 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL164853-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11373565 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are children and young adults aged 8 to 30 years who were born before 32 weeks of gestation and matched term-born controls.
✕Less likely to help
People not born preterm or outside the age range may not directly benefit from this study.
What this research studies
Researchers will track heart size, function, and biomarkers in 150 people born before 32 weeks and compare them to 150 term-born peers, using imaging and blood tests. They will model how cardiac growth and function change from childhood into early adulthood and look for factors that predict worse trajectories. The study will collect data at baseline and again after two years to see progression and identify risk factors for impaired heart growth and function. The results could help tailor monitoring and prevention strategies for young people born preterm as they age.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the study could improve long-term heart health screening and prevention for individuals born preterm.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has identified specific heart changes in those born preterm, but this study aims to map progression over time in a larger cohort.
Where this research is happening
-
Ut Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Goss, Kara N — Ut Southwestern Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Goss, Kara N
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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.