Noninvasive light-and-sound imaging to spot intestinal injury in premature infants
Photoacoustic Imaging for Biophysical Physiological Indicators of Neonatal Intestinal Health and Necrotizing Enterocolitis
This project uses a gentle, noninvasive imaging method called photoacoustic imaging to look for early intestinal injury and low blood flow in premature babies at risk for necrotizing enterocolitis.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wake Forest University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Winston-Salem, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11330353 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers are developing a new bedside imaging approach that sends harmless light pulses into the belly and listens for tiny sound signals to map blood flow and movement in the intestine. They will test how well this method detects the low oxygen and poor motility that are hallmarks of necrotizing enterocolitis using neonatal models and comparisons to healthy tissue. The work is a first-in-disease preclinical effort aimed at translating the technique into clinical use for fragile premature infants. If the results are promising, the team plans to move toward studies that could be done in neonatal intensive care units.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates for future clinical testing would be very preterm or very low birth-weight newborns who are at high risk for necrotizing enterocolitis.
Not a fit: Full-term infants, children beyond the neonatal period, or babies without signs or risk factors for NEC would not be expected to benefit from this approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could enable earlier, noninvasive detection and monitoring of NEC to guide treatment and reduce the need for emergency intestinal surgery.
How similar studies have performed: Photoacoustic imaging has shown promising preclinical results in other organs, but applying it to NEC is a novel, first-in-disease preclinical effort.
Where this research is happening
Winston-Salem, United States
- Wake Forest University Health Sciences — Winston-Salem, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Weis, Jared Anthony — Wake Forest University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Weis, Jared Anthony
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.