MRI markers to predict outcomes after newborn brain injury
Official title: Consortium Of MRI Biomarkers In Neonatal Encephalopathy (COMBINE)
Funded at Boston Children's Hospital · NIH-11336387 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses newborn brain MRI scans and AI tools to help doctors predict which babies with oxygen-related brain injury may have developmental problems by 18–22 months.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston Children's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | May 1, 2022 |
| Project end | April 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $878,564 |
| NIH project number | 5R33NS126792-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11336387 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Newborns (first days to weeks of life) with suspected hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy or other acquired neonatal brain injury who receive clinical MRI at participating neonatal centers.
✕Less likely to help
Children without neonatal brain injury, older infants or toddlers, or babies who do not receive a clinical MRI at a participating site would not be eligible or directly helped by this project.
What this research studies
If your newborn had suspected hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) or another acquired brain injury, their clinical brain MRI from the first days or weeks of life would be collected and reviewed. Experts' MRI readings and new AI algorithms will be compared and combined to create a more reliable imaging marker linked to outcomes at 18–22 months. The work pools MRIs across multiple neonatal centers so the marker is trained on diverse data and tested against long-term developmental results. The goal is a faster, reproducible signal that can guide therapy decisions and future trials.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could give families and clinicians an earlier, more reliable way to predict developmental outcomes and speed testing of new treatments.
How similar studies have gone: Previous neuroradiologist MRI scoring by the Neonatal Research Network showed promise (good sensitivity in one dataset but variable specificity and inter-reader agreement), and applying AI to this problem is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Boston Children's Hospital
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Grant, Patricia Ellen — Boston Children's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Grant, Patricia Ellen
Related research
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Hydrogen therapy for newborns with brain injury
A new NICU trial will test inhaled hydrogen added to standard hypothermia therapy to see if it can improve survival and brain outcomes for babies with hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.
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Real-time brain blood-flow and oxygen monitoring for newborns with birth-related brain injury
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Using MRI to identify brain injury in newborns with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy
This study is looking for better ways to check for brain injuries in newborns with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) so that doctors can spot problems earlier and find the best treatments for these babies.
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Effects of blood sugar levels on brain health in newborns with brain injury
This study looks at how high blood sugar levels can impact the brains of newborns with a condition called hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), and it aims to help parents understand how these early sugar levels might affect their child's development as they grow.
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Newborn Brain Wave Checker: See if CergenX Wave matches the Sarnat exam
This study tests whether the CergenX Wave software, which analyzes a newborn's EEG via a small four-electrode setup, can match the standard Sarnat examination in babies with suspected neonatal encephalopathy.
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Neonatal Neurological Observation With Video AI
This study tests a real-time, non-contact video AI system to help monitor brain health in newborns with suspected brain injury during their hospital stay.
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.