Newborn brain oxygen use and mitochondrial damage after birth-related oxygen loss
CMRO2 and Uncoupling of Oxidative-Phosphorylation in Experimental HIE
Researchers will use a special imaging method to watch how newborn brains use oxygen after lack of oxygen at birth and whether cooling or antioxidant treatments prevent damage.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Virginia NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Charlottesville, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11144541 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If your baby experienced oxygen-deprivation at birth, this project uses a high-resolution imaging technique (photoacoustic microscopy) in a mouse model to track how much oxygen the brain is using (CMRO2) after the injury. The team compares CMRO2 changes with measures of mitochondrial respiration and brain energy to see if an early oxygen-usage overshoot or a later decline marks worse injury. They will test whether cooling (therapeutic hypothermia) and drugs (MitoSNO, Edaravone, a HIF1a stabilizer) prevent those harmful changes. Blood biomarkers (osteopontin, S100b, UCH-L1) will also be measured to find signals that might help monitor or predict outcomes in babies.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Future clinical trials based on this work would enroll newborn infants with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (oxygen-deprivation around the time of birth).
Not a fit: This project is unlikely to directly benefit older children or adults, people with non-hypoxic brain injuries, or babies who are already beyond the early treatment window.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could improve early monitoring and help tailor treatments like cooling or antioxidant drugs to better protect newborns' brains after oxygen-deprivation at birth.
How similar studies have performed: Therapeutic hypothermia is an established treatment for neonatal HIE, but using CMRO2 imaging for monitoring and antioxidant-based adjunctive therapies remains experimental.
Where this research is happening
Charlottesville, United States
- University of Virginia — Charlottesville, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kuan, Chia-Yi — University of Virginia
- Study coordinator: Kuan, Chia-Yi
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 below.