Protecting preterm babies' cerebellum from damage after brain bleeding
Official title: Overcoming the Inhibitory Neurovascular Niche in Preterm Infant Brain Injury
Funded at University of California, San Francisco · NIH-11322106 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are testing whether blocking the blood protein fibrinogen can protect the developing cerebellum of preterm infants after brain hemorrhage.
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 | April 1, 2023 |
| Project end | February 29, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $454,316 |
| NIH project number | 5R01NS126498-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11322106 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Premature infants who have experienced or are at high risk for intracranial hemorrhage and blood-brain barrier leakage would be the main candidates for future trials.
✕Less likely to help
Older children and adults or patients whose brain injury is not caused by bleeding or fibrinogen-related processes are unlikely to benefit from this specific approach.
What this research studies
If your baby is born very early and has a brain bleed, leaking blood proteins like fibrinogen can harm cerebellar growth and development. Scientists at UCSF use newborn mouse models and laboratory studies of brain cells to see how fibrinogen causes inflammation and stops new neurons and myelin from forming, focusing on BMP/ACVR1 signaling and microglial receptors. They remove or neutralize fibrinogen in these models and measure cerebellar growth, neurogenesis, and inflammation. The goal is to identify treatments that could one day be given after neonatal hemorrhage to protect brain development.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could lead to treatments that prevent long-term developmental problems in preterm infants after brain hemorrhage.
How similar studies have gone: Animal studies from this team and others show that reducing fibrinogen can restore cerebellar growth in models, but the approach has not yet been tested in human infants.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Petersen, Mark a — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Petersen, Mark a
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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.